


Dreams

by ThatGirlTheyKnow



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-21
Updated: 2013-07-02
Packaged: 2017-11-14 17:45:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/517879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatGirlTheyKnow/pseuds/ThatGirlTheyKnow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts with Loki visiting his dreams. Things escalate from there. <br/>Follows the key events in Tony and Loki's relationship, involving the dreams that they share and how intimate that type of magic really is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter of this was originally going to be a oneshot, so it has a slightly different format to the rest of the chapters.

The first time Loki visited his dreams, Tony shrugged it off as a weirdly vivid nightmare and tried his best to forget the sensation of when the god of mischief ran his fingers across his jaw and murmured soft yet forgotten words in his ear. The second time Loki visited, it was even more vivid, and he's had an actual conversation with the god (about fathers, of all things, but hey, this was a dream and it wasn't like he was actually spilling his heart out to the god) and it takes a lot of alcohol to forget the way those green eyes stared into his soul.

After the third time, Tony is actually considering that maybe Loki is using some sort of magic Asgard can't detect and entering his dreams, so he calls Thor who proudly states that the magicians who designed the cells like the one Loki was being held in were the most knowledgeable in all the nine realms. It doesn't ease Tony's mind enough, however, because this is Loki and he seems the sort of guy to always have something up his sleeve. The fourth time, he decides to ask outright, because these are getting clearer and he's beginning to remember more and more.

"Is this actually happening?" he asks the god sitting across from him (they're in what appears to be his favourite lounge room, and he wonders why). Loki just smiles. He's dressed in a black top and green, tight leather pants. Tony allows himself to appreciate the view because if the god actually is doing this to him well he's got to make the most of a bad situation. "I didn't think there was any magic your cell would look over," admits Tony, narrowing his eyes at the smiling man. "So either I've finally gone crazy and this is just my imagination, or you're more powerful than we ever knew." Loki stands and gracefully makes his way over to stand in front of Tony. He leans in and his mouth brushes Tony's ear. "Oh, Man of Iron... You've no idea." Suddenly, his mouth is on Tony's and even more suddenly, Tony's awake and panting in bed wondering what the fuck just happened. Is happening.

It keeps happening. The fifth time, Loki (and Tony's pretty damn sure this is actually Loki because there's nothing natural in the way these dreams feel) pretends nothing happened last time and decides to regale him with stories of the pranks he pulled as a child. Tony actually finds himself laughing with the god, and wondering how the man he talked to the first time the Avengers assembled could seem so... Normal. Human.

The sixth time, Loki kisses Tony again, and the billionaire lets it happen. He's loses track of time as they explore each other's mouths, and when he wakes up his lips are swollen like it actually happened. He tries not to dwell on the fact that he just passionately made out with his enemy inside his head, or the fact that these are getting more real... He just takes a cold shower and forces himself to make it through the day without napping.

All together, he has twenty two dreams with Loki, and six of those consist purely of them getting acquainted with each other's mouths. They happen in the three months following the invasion, and the schedule is inconsistent at most. Tony, in the time he has the dreams, moves into his previously-unused mansion with the rest of the Avengers, assists in saving the world twice more, and decides that he should not ever be in the same room as Thor ever again. Judging by the looks the god of thunder gives him, he has not forgotten the unexplained, panicked phone call after dream number three. As the dreams became more real, the looks Thor gave him became more serious and more confused. Tony comes to the conclusion that Thor can sense Loki's magic on him, but it must be faint because he says nothing.

Dream twenty two consists of Loki showing Tony more of the parlour- trick- esque spells in his repertoire, and is filled with laughter until Loki suddenly grows serious, and looks into Tony's eyes. "Anthony," (It occurs to Tony that he's never addressed him by name before, and the sound sends shivers down his spine) "I'm afraid this will be the last time I can... visit... you."

The news is like a slap in the face, and Tony stares at the god in shock as a genuinely apologetic look crosses his face. "I wish I could continue this, but surely you see that they become more real each time? Dreams should not be this real, and though it saddens me... Ending this will be for the best. Besides, I have plans." He offers no insight on these plans, but continues to stare almost sadly at man.

"But..." Tony searches for words to convey how he feels, and finds none.

Loki moves towards him, and presses his mouth softly to the shorter man's. It's tenderer than anything that has passed between them before, and if either had been poetic they would have described it as a promise.

"This will not be the last time you see me, Man of Iron," are the last words Tony hears before he wakes up and realizes that for the first time since he was a child, there were tears running down his cheeks.

He stops sleeping unless absolutely necessary (like it used to be, before the visits) because even sleep reminds him of Loki now and those lips and eyes and his soft, pale skin and smooth, luxurious voice.

Two weeks after dream twenty two, Thor returns from a visit to Asgard to inform them that Loki begged in front of the Allfather's court for forgiveness and freedom, claiming he has found his humanity and wishes to amend his wrong doings. Though that sounded awfully uncharacteristic and the Avengers have more than their fair share of doubts, Loki was still a prince, and Odin allowed him his freedom on a very strict probation. Should there be any sign of Loki harming any ally being of the nine realms, Thor had been instructed to show his brother his full wrath and power and the god would be imprisoned for the rest of his days. The only powers Odin allowed him to keep unbound were simple, harmless spells, so Thor assured them that is was unlikely that the god of mischief will be causing any for the next few hundred years.

When Tony hears Loki is free, he goes pale, and quickly excuses himself to his room. He sleeps deeply for the first time in a fortnight, but does not dream as he wished to. Instead, he's woken in the middle of the night by his bed tipping to the side, and a lean form pressing to his back. His new bed-mate smells of magic and cold and something he just can't put his finger on. He doesn't worry, because he knows who this is, and slowly he rolls over so he's face to face with the god of mischief and his mouth is suddenly very busy. As are his hands, practically ripping the clothes off the other man without really looking to see what he was actually doing. Loki chuckles against his mouth and suddenly all clothes are gone and then everything is in a blur of passion and pleasure and skin-to-skin contact.

As they climax in unison, Tony is very aware of his lover pressing fluttering kisses to his eyes, his nose, cheeks, mouth, neck, whispering promises as they slowly come down.

"I won't leave."

"I love you."

And it's very, very quiet in Tony's room for a few moments before the Man of Iron smiles lazily, runs his fingers through Loki's hair, and sighs in what could have been defeat. "Yeah. Yeah, I love you, too."

He drifts off with a grin on his face, and decides that as great as the dreams were, there really is nothing like real life physical contact.


	2. Chapter Two

Loki, in his cell at Asgard, contemplated the  _awful_  decision he had made by dream-walking into Anthony Stark's mind. At first, he'd needed amusement, and had wanted to toy with the mortal's mind. But he had let the vague attraction he'd had for the man take over, and suddenly the dreams became much more than a passing amusement. Despite his better judgement, Loki found himself...  _bonding_... with Stark, and when he cut off the twenty first dream he'd had with the man, he found himself in a very bad position indeed.

The god had always, in a way, let his emotions control him, even if he did not realize it, and years of being overlooked had given him quite the reaction when a person took actually interest in him, as Stark seemed to have. Was this sentiment? Was he actually growing to care for the mortal? As much as he despised it, the god of lies was not in the habit of lying to  _himself_. He'd found that knowing the truth made the mistruths all that much sweeter, and of course his mind was always a logical one. So.  _Sentiment, then._  He cared for Stark. He had let this small amusement get out of hand, and it needed to stop.

So he bid Anthony farewell.

" _This will not be the last time you see me, Man of Iron,"_

Oh, how idiotic it had been of him to make that vow, and once again be ruled by emotion. He was trapped here, in this cell, and probably would be long after Stark's lifetime. For a few days, he punished himself for caring by not eating the rations he was given, but the hunger made him uncomfortable weak and he resorted into simply being silent and losing himself in his thoughts.

This, really, just made things worse. His mind betrayed him with memories of the dreams he'd shared, and he claims to this day that it was a bout of temporary insanity that had led him to request an audience with the Allfather's court.

The noblemen looked at him with distain as he kneeled in front of Odin, but the king himself hid all emotion but for the slight softening of his eyes when the boy he'd raised appeared.

"Loki Odinson," Odin ignored the way the name made his son flinch. "You have requested an audience with the court, claiming you had chosen to break your silence on the reasons of your crimes. Speak."

"Allfather," the shamed prince began. "In the recent months I have been left with naught company but my thoughts and memories, and it is with a heavy heart that I come to you with apologies for my slights against Asgard."  _Lies_ , mostly, but to achieve the desired result he would have to put his silvertongue to good use. "I have also been able to reflect, in my time of imprisonment, on the value of mortal life, and the duty we have to protect mortals when they cannot protect themselves. I am deeply ashamed for the destruction my actions brought upon Midgard, and I wish to make right my wrong doings. I beg that you, Odin Allfather, hear the truth in my words and grant me the freedom required to wipe my ledger clean of what I can reverse." Hopefully there would be enough truth in the lies to convince the Allfather that he had...  _found humanity_.

As silence ran through the hall, Loki thought about his words. Did he feel remorse for the slights against Asgard? No, not particularly. Did he feel ashamed that he brought destruction upon Midgard?

No... And yes. He found himself feeling remorseful of the damage he had inflicted upon Anthony Stark, and only by extension, his planet.

Remorse, and all because of a mortal _. Surely_  this was a low point.

* * *

In the end, his embarrassing "begging" paid off and Loki was allowed his simplest powers unbound, which was unfortunate because he did quite like causing mischief, but at least harmless fun was still fun.

The first place he went was Anthony's bedroom.

He'd considered visiting his dreams, but decided against it. For a few minutes after he transported himself into the luxurious room, Loki could do naught but stare at the man in front of him. What about him had attracted the god's attention in the first place? And how had he managed to keep it? And unknowingly take so much more.

Hesitation was not something that Loki was used to, but now, as he climbed into Stark's bed, he found himself unsure as to whether or not the Man of Iron would want to see him in the waking world.

But then Stark woke up and Loki was quickly assured by whispered words of passion that he was more than welcome in the realm of the conscious. The betraying emotion overtook him again, and he found words ( _promises_ ) spilling from his mouth he never would have said in his right mind.

" _I won't leave."_

" _I love you."_

* * *

In the morning when he was putting his clothes back on, he found his lover staring at him with an unfathomable expression.

"You know," Anthony started casually, still in bed and unclothed. "You love me."

Rolling his eyes, the god replied with a sarcastic, " _I never knew_."

"Seriously!" the mortal was still unreadable but for the slight humour now in his eyes. "How? How do you feel that way _... back_?"

Oh. Loki thought carefully about his answer. "I know not." he admitted. "But I find myself loving you in a way that I have not loved for many centuries. You... It was you who led me to the decision to plead before the Allfather. It was humiliating, but necessary should I... wish to be with you."

This information startled the man in bed. "For me? Huh. I knew there was something incredibly out of character about that."

"Temporary insanity."

"Well, no-one ever said love was sane," came the reply from the grinning man.

Loki sighed in defeat. "No," he muttered, to himself more than anything. "Apparently not."


	3. Chapter Three

Loki, as much as he despised it, spent his days fulfilling his promise to the Allfather to "make right his wrong doings". He would send out copies of himself, under disguises as average mortals, to help with the ongoing clean-up effort in the city. This took up much of his energy, and he would lock himself in the apartment Tony had helped him buy (that is, the apartment Tony let him chose, then bought for him despite his protests, because he couldn't stay at the mansion with the god of thunder living there) and overlooking their actions and then, when they had been out for more than five hours (any longer would use up too much power), he would sleep until night fell, when he would appear in Tony's room or workshop and spend time with his unlikely lover.

It was different having a lover that Loki, well, actually loved. His time spent with the man was much more than sex, and it was a refreshing change to converse with someone of equal intelligence, whether it was about science or magic, Midgard or Asgard, or more personal subjects, he always felt intellectually stimulated, and comfortable with what they were discussing. Anthony knew when not to pry too deep, and Loki knew when to wait for the man to bring up a subject, instead of bringing it up himself.

They two had managed to keep their relationship under the Avengers' (and SHIELD's) radar for some time, Loki always making sure he would appear when Anthony was alone and his brother was a safe enough distance away not to sense his magic. They knew it was unwise to break it to them while the wounds of the invasion were still so fresh, so they kept it their little secret and enjoyed it that way, and in the end gave no thought as to when they would actually make it public, if ever. They enjoyed having this private, personal escape from the world.

However, all good things must come to an end, and exactly that happened when Loki transported himself into Anthony's personal living room, and Thor was just close enough to sense the magic in the air.

The blonde had, when Loki appeared in the mansion, been in the middle of a conversation with Steve, who was puzzled when the Æsir stopped speaking, suddenly tense.

"Thor?" He asked, automatically on high alert for danger. "What is it?"

The god was frowning. "My brother... I can sense his magic. He is in the mansion."

Three minutes later, the two were standing outside the door of Tony's living area, frowning. Thor reached out to touch the doorknob. "I knew my brother was on Midgard, but I had hoped he would not cause any trouble while here. I hear no signs of battle within, but I fear he may have found a way to regain some of his more... sinister magic."

Inside, Steve had expected to find the god of mischief casting some sort of spell over Tony, or perhaps even a dead body. He had not expected (to say the least) to find Loki curled up on a couch with the billionaire, watching television and appearing to be at complete ease. His head rested on Tony's, and Tony had his cheek pressed to the god's hair. It took a moment for either of them to notice their shocked audience.

Loki's eyes, which had flickered away from the screen, landed on his brother and that Captain America fellow, and he froze.  _Oh dear_ , he thought mildly.

"Anthony," he said, eyes never leaving their guests. "We have company, it appears."

The man's head jerked up, finding the somewhat amusing image of Thor and Steve's apparently speechless surprise.

"Oh," he managed, before Thor regained his thoughts and was storming his way over to them with a dark look on his face.

"Brother!" he boomed, looking completely like god he was, "What is the meaning of this?"

Loki rose to his feet gracefully and smiled humourlessly at his brother. "I am enjoying a television program with Anthony Stark.  _Not_ that it is any of your business,  _brother_." He used the word "brother" with biting sarcasm.

Thor glared at him. "I was not aware that you were  _acquainted_  with the Man of Iron, beyond your conversation during the battle."

"That was months ago. Things change." came the smooth reply.

"Thor," Tony started, standing up. "Look, it's not what you think."

The god of thunder turned his anger on the mortal. "Man of Iron, has my brother used any of his magic on you?"

The man faltered. "Well,  _yes_ , but-"

"Did you request this magic to be place upon you?"

" _No_ , but honestly, Thor, it's-"

"And, as a consequence of this spell, are you currently pursuing a romantic relationship with him?"

There was a pause. "Well," Tony muttered. "When you say it like that, it  _is_  what you think."

Thor faced his brother. "Love spells, brother?"

Loki scoffed, a dangerous look crossing his features. " _I would never_. My relationship with Anthony is genuine, and his mind and common sense are unaltered by any sort of magic. Whilst in my cell at Asgard, I visited his dreams out of boredom. We got to know each other."

There was a silence in the room as Thor processed this information, and Steve spoke up.

" _Tony_... This can't be a good idea."

Loki glared at the blonde. "Hold your tongue, mortal, and  _do not speak of that which you do not understand_."

Steve took a subconscious step backwards, away from Loki.

"I must agree with the Captain," said Thor. "I will take your word that you have not cast spells upon the Man of Iron that are of a sinister nature, but I find myself doubting that it is a good idea for you, Tony, to be in a relationship with my brother. He is the god of lies and mischief, among other things, and he cannot have changed his ways so quickly."

"Love does strange things to a man." Tony said, narrowing his eyes and feeling oddly protective.

Thor froze. Steve froze. Loki gave his lover a quick smile, and raised his eyebrow at the man he once called brother. "For a man who insisted that I could change all those months ago, you seem awfully surprised that I gave."

Steve coughed. "You know what, this seems like a talk for you guys to have. Loki's obviously not a threat, so I'll leave."

They paid him no mind, the two Æsir having some sort of staring contest, and Tony watching, feeling helpless in the presence of the two powerful gods.

"Do you love the Man of Iron, brother?"

"Do stop calling me that, Thor. I am not your brother and you know it."

"You are my brother by heart, Loki, and no matter what happens, you always will be. Now, does Anthony speak the truth? Are you two... In love?"

"Yes," Loki spat the word, narrowing his eyes. "He is the reason I humiliated myself in front of Odin and he is the reason I am on this Earth. I love Anthony in a way that I have not loved in all my years, and if I would never cause him harm, emotional or physical. This I vow. It would be wise for you to leave, Thor, and to not warn him from me again. I may have had my harmful powers stripped of me, but I was still raised a warrior of Asgard and I can still hurt you  _if I_   _so please_."

Was it just Tony, or had the temperature dropped a few degrees while Loki spoke?

Thor stared at the god of mischief for a few long moments before his mouth quirked into a small smile. His eyes softened. "Very well, I shall leave. But be warned, Anthony, that if  _you_ hurt  _him_ , you shall feel my wrath."

The billionaire's eyes widened. "I wouldn't, but warning acknowledged."

When Thor left, Loki found himself in the tight embrace of his lover. He was pulled into a rough kiss, and when they finally broke for air, he found himself staring into Tony's passionate gaze.

"That is the most amazing thing anyone has ever said about me." the mortal muttered.

"Oh," Loki said, confused. "What I said to Thor? About... loving you?" Still such a strange phrase on a tongue so used to lies.

"Yes," Another kiss, longer this time. "Feel free to say that... Forever."

Loki smiled one of his rare, genuine smiles. "It's true, so I do not think it will be too hard to fulfil that request."

Tony grinned, and pulled the god to the couch, where he showed him just how much he'd liked his speech.


	4. Chapter Four

Tony had been hoping that Steve and Thor would keep their mouths shut about the whole Loki thing. He had cornered them, the next morning as they ate breakfast together (if amused him how the two stuck together in a little club of the technologically impaired), and downright begged them. Of course, Clint had decided to walk into the communal kitchen at the worst possible time because Tony was Tony and despite the amount of money he had, he had what appeared to be the worst luck in the world.

"... And I'd really appreciate it if you kept the whole Loki thing just between us because..."

"Loki?" Clint asked, tensing at the name. After his mind control, Loki had been a delicate subject with the man, who made his loathing for the god obvious, despite Thor's insistence that he's mended his ways. "Is he causing trouble?" His finger twitched, itching for an excuse to send an arrow through the god's eye.

The three men in looked up with different expressions. Thor looked thoughtful, Steve looked nervous, and Tony looked outright panicked. Clint frowned.

"What's going on? What about Loki?"

Tony quickly made his face indifferent. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

Clint sent him a suspicious look, and turned to the two blondes for answers. "Guys,  _what about Loki_?"

Thor looked at Tony with a look that could only be described as apologetic, and said, "The Man of Iron is pursuing a romantic relationship with my brother, and wishes it to be kept a secret. However, due to the team's history with him, and yours especially, I am not comfortable with such secrets and believe it is for the best that we are all aware of this."

Tony glared at the god of thunder. "Thanks a  _lot_  big guy. Really." He turned to explain more to Clint, who was staring at him in disbelief. Or maybe it was betrayal. For a second, he felt guilty, but shoved that down. No, he was allowed to love whoever he wanted.

"Tony," Clint said lowly, dangerously. "Are you insane?"

Well. "In my defence," he said. "Loki can't cause harm anymore."

"That is  _not_  that point!"

"Barton, you're my team mate and I care about you, but you know you have stronger feelings about Loki that the rest-"

Tony was cut off by Clint's fist colliding with his face.

* * *

Half an hour later, Bruce was helping Tony fix his broken nose, and kept shooting the billionaire curious looks.

"Spill it, Banner. I know Clint told you."

The doctor remained silent for a moment. "Who you love is your own business," the man said quietly. "But Loki... This can't be a good idea."

Tony couldn't get mad at Bruce. Bruce was his friend, his team mate, and he knew his reservations were completely out of his concern for Tony. Hell, he couldn't even get angry at Clint. The guy had gotten his free will taken away from him, for God's sake.  
"Yeah, well, I'm Tony Stark. I'm not known for good ideas."

Bruce chuckled. "That's true. Just be careful, okay? Last time I checked, that guy was crazy."

Tony paused. "I know. But he seems to have toned it down since the invasion, and... He's got a soft side. Not that you heard it from me or anything."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I'll have to take your word for it. So, will he be coming around for dinner?"

Tony felt a surge of horror at the thought of Loki sitting at the dining table, trying to make small talk with the Avengers.

"I don't think Clint's ready for that. I don't think _anybody_  is ready for that."

Bruce laughed again, and Tony felt relieved that his friend was on his side, or at least, not judging him.

* * *

He was working in his lab later that afternoon, repairing his suit, and suddenly Natasha was beside him. That woman was a ninja.

"How did you get in here? Jarvis?"

" _She had the correct passcode, sir."_

"Of course she did," Tony muttered darkly. "What can I do you for, m'dear?"

The woman stared at him for a minute. "It's none of my business, Tony, who you sleep with. I'm not going to warn you off Loki, or tell you you're insane. You're an adult... However much you act like a child. I just want to tell you that if Loki's coming around nightly, he'd better not be wondering this place alone. Also, Clint's still recovering from what that go did to him. I'm asking you to make sure he doesn't have to face Loki anytime soon."

Natasha never asks, she demands. She takes. This is completely out of character. Tony nodded, and told her he'll make sure of it. It's the least he can do for her. He knows how much she cares about Clint.

Before she left, her mouth twitched into an almost-smile. "Tony Stark in a committed relationship. Never thought I'd see the day." And she turns and walks out, leaving the man with a dropped jaw.

It's the first time he'd heard the word "commit" used, and he was surprised that he wasn't not freaking out.

* * *

"Those mortals seem to be taking our relationship very well, all things considered."

Loki appeared behind Tony silently, wrapping his arms around the waist of his lover kissing his neck gently. A shiver ran down Tony's spine and he wheeled his chair around.

"What time it is?" he asked, burying his head in Loki's chest. "I'm all cramped up."

"It's ten. Have you been down here all day?"

Tony frowned, looking into Loki's eyes. "Time flies when you're having fun." He leaned up to press his lips to the other man's, making a low sound in the back of his mouth as the kiss deepened. He doubted he'd ever get used to this.

Loki chuckled. "You're an odd one, even for a mortal."

The two stood there for a few minutes in each other's arms, absorbing each other's touch, when a cough in the entry way informed them of another person's presence.

Pepper Potts stood there, hands on hips and glaring at the couple fiercely.

"Explain to me, Tony, why I had to hear about your new "committed relationship _"_  from _Natasha_?" she demanded, and the billionaire was certain he'd never been this scared in his life, alien-invasion included.

"Ah."

* * *

It took an hour and the promise of a new car to calm Pepper down enough for Tony to tell her all the details. She'd paced back and forth in front of the men, lecturing them  _both_  on what a stupid idea this was and in the end they would both get hurt. Loki was too shocked at the mortal woman's audacity to actually get annoyed at it.

When she finally let Tony get a word in, the billionaire could hardly manage beyond a squeak in his intimidation, so Loki spoke up.

"Miss Potts," he said smoothly. "While your concerns for our relationship quite obviously come from a place of caring, I assure you that they are unfounded. I love Anthony deeply, with my whole heart, and he cares for me much in the same way. It would sooner face the wrath of Odin Allfather than hurt Anthony in any way."

She stared at him, and turned to her employer. "And you?"

"Pepper, I swear, this won't end in disaster! I've never... I've never felt this way before, okay?" Perhaps not as eloquent as Loki, but he had more to fear from the redhead than the god did.

"Fine," came the reply after a few heavy moments of silence. "But don't you come crying to me when something bad happens."

"It won't," Tony's voice had taken on a pleading edge, and Pepper noticed. Her face softened.

"I'll take your word for it."

She left without a backward glance.

There were a few minutes of silence as Tony scolded himself for not telling her, Pepper, his best friend, about this whole thing first. How could he have forgotten about her?

"You know," Loki said conversationally. "I do hope you have no more friends to reveal this to. Every time I face one of them I seem to make these awfully uncharacteristic declarations of love, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Tony just smirked. "It strokes my ego. I quite like it." A pause. "I love you too, you know."

Loki smiled. "I have no doubt."


	5. Chapter Five

"Well," Tony said as he looked around the familiar room. "This brings back memories."

Loki, sitting across from him, smiled. "Why, yes. I thought I'd visit you again, just for old time's sake."

The room had been the setting for several of Loki's dream-visits. It was a bedroom, furnished with deep reds and black and gold, with a large bed taking up most of the room in the centre. Tony and Loki were seated on two armchairs beside a fire, and the whole thing had always struck Tony as very old fashioned.

"You know, I never asked... What is this place?"

Loki leaned back in his chair. "These were my living quarters, on Asgard."

Tony raised an eyebrow and studied the room again. There was a writing desk with papers scattered across it, a large bookshelf containing tomes that were sure to be ancient, and a rug that seemed to be made out of the pelt of some Asgardian animal. "I would have taken you for more of a green guy, to be honest."

The god chuckled. "Yes, well, the room was decorated originally by my ... mother, and it bothered me little as to what it looked like. It is true that I favour green, however."

They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, lost in thought.

"Dreams have this feel to them," Tony thought out loud. "I have no idea how to describe it. They're so intimate, and we're not even touching."

"My magic is inside your body," Loki pointed out, studying him. "My very essence is in your mind, creating this for us. In theory, it is more intimate than sex can ever be. Magic is a part of who I am, my soul. I'm sharing that with you."

The billionaire stared. "Wow."

"Wow indeed." 

Loki made his way over to his lover and straddled him in his chair. He kissed him deeply. "I enjoy sharing this with you. Being connected to another being in such a way." His long, pale fingers ran through Tony's hair. "I never thought I would ever choose to be with a man such as you."

"Yeah, and I never thought I'd fall in love with a guy who tried to kill me." This brought a chuckle from the man in Tony's lap, so he continued. "You know... We never did christen that bed of yours. It looks mighty comfortable."

* * *

" _Sir, Nick Fury is on the line."_

Tony swore under his breath and looked up from the equation he was working on. "Tell him I'm on the toilet."

"He's insistent."

"... Fine, put him on."

Tony felt a prickle of annoyance as Fury's face appeared on the computer in front of him. "Can I help you?" he asked, tense. He knew what was coming.

The man on the screen glared at him with much more ferocity than should be possible with one eye. "Stark."

"Fury."

"Can you please explain to me why Agent Barton called me this morning informing me that one of the Avengers was in a relationship with the  _enemy_?"

Tony turned his face into an indifferent mask. "Maybe he got hit on the head harder than we thought last time the city got attacked."

The director's expression made it clear that he was not in the mood for Tony's usual jokes. "You had better have a damn good explanation for this, Stark. You could be compromised, for all we know. That guy could be messing with your mind."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Loki has served his sentence on Asgard, Odin set him free to help us recover from the attack, which he's doing. He is no longer the enemy."

"He is by SHIELD's standards."

"His harmful magic has been taken away! He can't do anything!" Tony insisted, frustrated. "And I am not compromised!"

Fury's face was grave. "He's the type of guy to always have something up his sleeve, Stark, and you know it. You probably wouldn't be able to tell if he'd decided to use some of his voodoo shit. You're not  _that_  smart. This is magic we're talking about."

Tony slammed his fist onto his desk, rattling the computer. "Fuck you and SHIELD, Fury. My mind hasn't been altered and I'll be damned if you can stop me from loving whoever the fuck I want, understood?"

The man on the screen was seemingly unaffected by the billionaire's anger. "I'm sorry to do this, Stark, but we're going to have to bring you in for tests, just to be sure. Even the slightest sign of you being compromised is enough for the Avengers Initiative to be cancelled altogether, if the higher-ups get word of it. We're putting you in containment for the time being."

Tony couldn't speak, staring at the screen in disbelief.

"Either you come in, or I'll be forced to get send in agents to assist Barton and Romanoff in bringing you in forcefully."

* * *

Two hours later, accompanied by serious-faced Clint and Natasha, as well as three other nameless SHIELD agents, Tony was led handcuffed into Fury's office on the Helicarrier. His face was completely blank and he was taking deep, steadying breaths.

"I'm sorry about this, Stark." Fury said as they waited for the doctors to take him to the medical bay. "But this is necessary."

"Fuck you and fuck this organisation and fuck the higher-ups, Fury. My mind is fine and you know it."

"We can't be sure." came the reply as two nervous-looking men in white coats walked in. "This is for the good of the team."

"I just hope you realize that by messing with me," Tony said. "You're messing with a very powerful, very angry god of mischief who is only leaving the world be because of me."

"He can't do all that much with what powers he has left," pointed out the director calmly.

"Never underestimate Loki, Fury. That's a really, really bad idea."

* * *

Later that night, the Avengers were having an unofficial meeting in the communal lounge room.

"This is nonsense!" Thor boomed when he heard what happened to Tony. "My brother would never manipulate the Man of Iron in such a way!"

"We have to look at all the possibilities, and take precautions," Clint said, arms crossed with a frown on his face. "I don't like Tony being in this situation either, but you have to admit..."

"Admit what?" Bruce said quietly. "That you don't trust his judgement, so you decided to tell SHEILD on him?"

Clint bristled. "I did what was necessary. They would have found it out sooner or later. You know that."

"They cannot be allowed to do this!" Thor insisted. "Such accusations are a great insult on Asgard and the house of Odin!"

The blonde was gripping the Mjolnir tightly, ready to attack SHIELD in an instant to protect his brother's honour, and the man his brother loved. There was no doubt in his mind that what was going on between Anthony Stark and Loki was real, and it angered him to no end that the mortals would not take his word for it, when the situation had been explained to the group by Fury an hour ago.

Just as Clint was about to speak again, the temperature of the room dropped drastically, and suddenly Loki was in the centre of them, a murderous look in his eyes.

"Where  _is_  he?" he hissed, eyes tinted red. "I cannot find him.  _Where is Anthony_?"

The room was silent, Clint, Natasha and Steve reaching for their weapons and Thor looking sadly upon his adoptive brother.

"My brother," He ignored the wince at those words. "The Man of Iron is being held by SHIELD, for they fear you have used magic to trick him into caring for you."

The temperature dropped more.

"Where is he?"

Natasha spoke up. "We don't know. He was on the Helicarrier earlier, but we've been told that he's been taken to a secure facility until it can be proven that your magic isn't in his mind. They have energy readings from when you attacked, so they'll probably be able to find a way to test it in a week or so.

Loki froze. "My  _magic_? They have a way to test for my _magic_?"

Thor nodded. "Indeed. But fear not, your lover shall be returned to you soon, if we cannot convince SHIELD to release him without these ridiculous tests."

"Which we can't," said Clint. "SHIELD never goes back on their word. Ever."

Loki took a deep breath. "And what if they were to find my magic in his mind?"

Silence. Thor's eyes widened. "Brother, you did not..."

The god of mischief shook his head. "Our love is real, but we shared dreams, Thor. Many of them, and have recently, also. It has formed a very strong connection between us, with me inside his head for extended periods of time, and I have no doubt that my magic lingers in his system. Your SHIELD has no way of differentiating between sinister and harmless energy signatures in the human body. I doubt the will let Anthony go any time soon, if they base their conclusions off what they find in him, as you have said."

Loki spoke with resignation, but determination was written in his every feature.

"I must leave now. I have a lover to retrieve."

Before Thor could protest, the god disappeared, his eyes much more red than when he arrived.

* * *

Tony had never been more relieved to be dreaming than he was at the moment he realized he was in Loki's bedroom on Asgard. The god of lies quickly pulled him into a tight embrace, and then proceeded to touch his face, arms, torso, for any injury.

"Have they harmed you, Anthony?" he murmured, finally looking into the other man's eyes.

Tony shook his head, a wry smile curling on his lips. "Even SHIELD isn't stupid enough to do that. They've just got me locked away in a 'safe place' until they can make sure your magic isn't in me." He had hoped what he was saying was reassuring, but Loki looked more worried than ever. "Hey, it'll be fine. Once they realize you're not in my system..." He trailed off, realization written all over his features. "But you  _are_ , aren't you? What you said the other night..."

Loki nodded, pressing his lips swiftly to Tony's. "They'll not release you, as my magic has too strong a bond with you to ever be fully flushed from your body. I am sorry, Anthony."

"It's okay," the billionaire said, trying his best to smile. "Maybe I'll be allowed visitors." He tried weakly. "Maybe we can convince them..." But he knew his lover wasn't listening.

"Nonsense," Loki said, suddenly all business. "I will not stand back and watch as the man I love is held unrightfully in  _captivity_  by this SHIELD. No, I'm coming to get you. I've worked too hard for you to give you up this easily."

"There's no place on Earth SHIELD can't find me, Loki. Even with you there, they can easily force the other Avengers to bring me  _and_  you back in, if we escape."

Loki stared at Tony for a few moments, his face determined. "There is... one place."

And without giving Tony an explanation, Loki cut off the dream.


	6. Chapter Six

Loki would be the first person to tell you that he was not sane. He knew it, he embraced it, and just because he didn't act like it most of the time, the insanity was still there. Always there.

He was also a very possessive person. Perhaps it came from having a brother most people favoured, or maybe it was simply in his nature, but Loki protected what was his and when it was taken from him, all hell would break lose.

The god was almost shaking with slowly-building anger when he found the building where Anthony was being kept. He was dressed in full battle armour, sans his helmet, and walked purposely through the doors of the facility as if he owned the place. Agents, no doubt some of the agency's best, if they were guarding such a secure place, tried to stop him, but the barrier Loki had up around himself burned human flesh horribly if they came too close. One ambitious young man shot at the god, missing by a millimetre, and Loki paused for a moment, met his eye, and suddenly the boy was screaming, clutching his head and sobbing. Oh, the Allfather had taken away most of his harmful powers, but he still had enough creativity to bypass the magical binds.

He located Anthony's cell with relative ease- his magic was calling to him from the man, and Loki could not help but smile at the intimacy of it all. He'd not had a bond like that with anyone, let alone a mortal, in centuries. It had awakened a long-buried instinct to  _protect_ , one he had not felt since he'd had children. Well, he still had children, but he was forbidden to acknowledge their connection with the house of Odin.

The moment he saw his lover, a grin spread across his face. Anthony was sleeping, back turned from him, and for a moment Loki considered slipping into the man's dreams.

But, no. Time was of the essence, he supposed, and he wanted out of this vile place as soon as possible. Agents that were crowded around him did not dare interfere as he vanished the door to the cell and walked in. They'd learned their lesson, apparently.

He muttered under his breath a spell as a precaution, should an onlooker try to attack him again, and sat on the bed beside the mortal. He leaned down so his lips were touching the other man's ear. "Anthony," he whispered. "I need you to wake up."

The man opened his eyes, instantly alert, but it took him a moment to recognise he was in the land of the conscious, and this was not a dream. "Loki." he breathed. "You found me. How about that."

The god smiled, and helped him up. He couldn't resist pressing a kiss to the man's lips. It had been two days since they had seen each other in person, so he decided he cared not that their relationship would soon be common knowledge among those at SHIELD, and contact was so much more pleasant when it was real.

"We're leaving," Loki said once they broke apart. "I need you to grab my hand arm, preferably with both hands, as tight as you can."

Tony frowned. "Loki, they'll just keep finding us, you might as well just leave me here until we can convince them I'm clear. Somehow."

The god looked at him. "I do not wish to spend time apart from you, Anthony. And the place we're going may have answers to proving your innocence. I need you to believe me."

Tony was silent, then nodded and gripped Loki's arm. "I still want to know where you're taking me," he said, before the world swam and everything turned into bright colours and then, blackness.

He remembered landing, but the shock of teleporting kicked in (it's never felt like this before) and he fainted before he could register his surroundings.

* * *

Thor paced his room on Asgard, the same route he had used many times in his years- the ground was long worn under his feet. He desperately wanted to seek out his brother, calm him down, assure him Stark would be freed- but father had forbidden him from leaving Asgard until Loki showed up again; they had to make sure he did not harm anyone in his attempts to break the Man of Iron out of SHEILD's custody, and Thor's presence could very well make him angrier.

Of course, the Allfather was not aware of the nature of Loki's relationship with the mortal. Thor had barely been able to inform the king that Loki may break the conditions of his freedom before he was told to wait in his chambers until further notice. Usually, Thor would ignore such request, but he had no idea where to start looking, so he let it be and prayed his brother would not cause an inter-realm incident.

There was a knock on the door, and without stopping his pacing, Thor called for them to enter.

It was Sif, and the Warriors Three. He had not seen them in many months, but his mind was on other things and all he could manage to give them was a quick smile. He was not himself in his worry.

"Thor," Volstagg said, his voice quieter than usual. "We have missed you, friend."

"I have been busy, my friends. I apologise for not visiting sooner, and for a more carefree purpose..."

Sif looked sad. "There is rumour that Loki may break the conditions of his freedom. To what end?"

Thor sighed in frustration. "My brother is being foolish. He has taken a lover, and-"

Fandral interrupted, eyebrows raised. "A lover? A romantic relationship? That does not sound like him. The last relationship he had was over two hundred years ago!"

Thor nodded. "I thought the same thing, but it is genuine. The human association I work for, however, still view Loki as an enemy and believe that his lover, my team mate Anthony Stark, has had his mind affected and manipulated by Loki's magic."

Hogan scoffed. "They are just foolish mortals. Loki has not the magic, and I doubt he would sacrifice his freedom just to take a man to bed if he did." The god of thunder thought briefly that his quiet friend was severely underestimating what Loki could do even with the binds still in place.

Thor, instead of voicing this, nodded. "Indeed. They have taken Stark into their custody, and Loki was furious when he found out. He said he was going to retrieve him, and has not been seen since."

Sif was about to speak when a servant knocked on the open door. "My prince, the Allfather requests your presence. He says it is about your brother."

* * *

The first thing Tony registered when he awoke was that the air felt different. He couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but a part of him knew that this wasn't air he was used to breathing. The second thing he noticed was that Loki was there, his chest to Tony's back and his arms around his waist. The third thing he noticed was that he was in what was possibly the most comfortable bed he had ever had the pleasure of sleeping in.

"Where am I?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He looked around the room. He got the feeling he'd been here before.

"My rooms," Loki replied, sitting up with him. He hadn't been sleeping; instead, he had been savouring the presence of his lover, the touch he had missed even after a few short days.

Tony frowned. "Your rooms?"

Loki looked away from the man's confused gaze. "Yes, my rooms. On Asgard."

Tony stopped breathing. Asgard? Loki had brought him to Asgard? He didn't know what to think.

"But," he managed to choke out. "Thor told me it was forbidden for mortals to come here? Unless they've gotten permission from your... from the king"

Loki nodded. "Yes. But the Allfather has been merciful today, and was willing to wait until you'd awoken to hear my plea."

Tony was still slightly speechless. "Why did you bring me here? Why would you risk that?"

Loki shrugged. "It was the only place I knew of where SHIELD could not get you. I'm sorry you passed out, inter-realm travel does that to a mortal."

Tony's mind wasn't working at its usual pace. "Okay? Hey, you didn't kill anyone, did you?"

Oh, the god had wanted to. Badly. He had considered, just before he took Anthony, starting a fire in the facility in the area with the most flammable substances... But he'd decided against it, knowing his lover would not appreciate it.

"No, I did not. Though next time something like this happens, I may not be able to control myself."

Loki got off the bed and held his hand out to help Tony off the bed, who accepted it. He still felt slightly weak, and it must have showed, because the god wrapped an arm around his waist and supported most of Tony's weight. "Are you going to be okay?" he murmured and they left the room. "Or are you going to faint on me again?"

Tony sighed. "I'll be fine. Though I'm not even ashamed to say that I'm terrified to meet the guy who raised you." And Loki's expression, he coughed. "I know how you feel about your family, but they still see you as their son, and that's intimidating for a guy."

Loki didn't say anything, and they walked through the halls of what appeared to be a palace in silence. This was okay with Tony, because this place was ridiculously gorgeous and spectacular and breathtaking and all the other words that he couldn't think of because everything was gold and bright and distracting. This place really was the home of gods, wasn't it?

He felt a pair of lips brush at his ear. "People are staring, my love. Just a warning."

Nothing in Tony's stomach fluttered at the name. Not at all. He kept his face as one of casual interest, so he didn't look like too much of a gawking tourist, and tore his eyes from the architecture to see that servants, people in ridiculous armour he assumed were guards, and people dressed in clothes that clearly marked them as nobility, were staring at him and Loki like they were aliens.

 _Well_ , the billionaire mused. He technically was from another planet, and Loki was supposed to be on Earth, and Loki's arm was wrapped around his waist in a way that a passerby would not know he was helping Tony walk and would surely look affectionate... So he figured the staring was justified.

As they approached what Tony assumed was the throne room, Loki started whispering advice to him.

"Do not speak unless spoken to. Address him as 'your majesty'. Please, change your personality for the duration of this and be respectful. The Allfather has every right to have you flogged for not holding your tongue, and I would be powerless to do anything but watch. We need him to like you if you are to stay here until this entire situation blows over."

The mortal gulped.

The guards opened the heavy-looking gold doors as they approached, and it occurred to Tony that meeting the parents had never been so dangerous.


	7. Chapter 7

The silence in the throne room of Asgard was heavy as the doors opened and Tony got his first glance at the Allfather. Loki's arm tightened slightly around his waist as they took in the occupants of the room. There was, of course, Odin, who stood as Loki and Tony came into view. The man's face was grave as he took in the two, his eyes lingering at Loki's arm for a moment before realization showed in his eyes. Standing to his side was a beautiful woman Tony assumed to be Frigga, who was looking at her adoptive son with obvious tenderness. In front of them was Thor, who had turned in surprise when the two arrived, and four others, a woman and two men, standing respectfully to the side.

Thor was the first to break the silence. "Brother, you didn't!" he exclaimed, aghast. "You knew it was forbidden!"

Loki narrowed his eyes at once again being called 'brother'. "It was the only place I could bring him without them finding him. Surely you will not attempt to arrest us, Thor? Or do you have more loyalty to SHIELD than you do us?"

The thunder god was about to speak, but Odin spoke. "Quiet!" he demanded, sending Thor a pointed look, and turned back to Loki and Tony. "Loki, my son, you are before me today because you have kidnapped a prisoner from a mortal  _ally_  organisation, and why you have brought him to Asgard, despite the laws restricting mortal presence in our realm. Explain yourself."

Loki took a deep breath. "Allfather, may I present to you my lover, Anthony Stark, also known as the Man of Iron. On Earth, he is a part of the same team as Thor, a group of highly skilled individuals called the Avengers. When it became known to the organisation who run this group, SHIELD, that Anthony was, ah, fond of me, they insisted on imprisoning him because they believed I had affected his mind with magic, and that I could be using him to work against them."

The Allfather was silent for a moment before he nodded seriously. "I see. And what evidence did they have to back up this claim?"

"None. Despite Thor's insistence that I was already carrying out my punishment for my past crimes, and that there is no higher judgment than yours in these realms, they still insisted on taking him without his will."

"And have you affected this mortal's mind with your magic, my son?"

Tony could almost feel the temperature in the room drop. Loki's eyes flashed dangerously. "I have not."

It was then that Odin turned his one eyed gaze to Tony, who felt his palms sweat. This man practically radiated power, and it left the mortal feeling very, very small.

"Anthony Stark, Man of Iron, it is a pleasure to meet you, and I thank you for bringing my son obvious happiness. 'Tis not often a mortal can achieve such a feat. However, our meeting is under an unfortunate circumstance. I will allow you to live, as you were brought here without your knowledge, and the action taken against you is an insult on the house of Odin. You will stay here, on Asgard, in the company of Loki, while my son Thor will return to Midgard to inform this SHIELD on their slight against my son's name, and by extension, my own."

Tony was a little speechless. "I- uh... Thank you."

Loki released his grip on Tony, who swayed but otherwise managed to stay upright, and stepped forward. "Allfather, if I may make a suggestion?"

The man narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "You may."

"I would ask for access to the royal libraries. I believe I know of a book that may be able to prove that my magic has not affected Anthony's mind and decision making in the mortal's scans of his body, for magic."

Odin raised an eyebrow. "And would they find magic in his body, my son?"

Loki looked slightly hesitant. "Yes. I have, ah, shared many dreams with Anthony." There was a ringing silence and Tony got the feeling he was missing something. A quick scan of the room showed many raised eyebrows, with the exception of Thor, who was smiling slightly, and Frigga, who was outright grinning at them. So, dreams were a bigger deal than he'd been informed? Tony stored that information away for later.

"I was not aware you were capable of such spells, son. But... Very well," Odin said, sitting once more. "You and Stark are allowed access to my libraries, but to not abuse that privilege." Loki smirked, and the old man looked like he had seen that smirk far too many times. "You may leave."

"Actually," a soft voice came from behind them, and Frigga stepped forward. "I would like to speak to my son and our guest privately, if you will follow me, my dears?"

Loki nodded, and while the rest of the occupants of the room, sans the Allfather, dispersed, he grabbed a hold of Tony's hand and they followed the woman into a private room at the back of the hall. As soon as they were out of the view of the others, Frigga threw her arms around Loki's neck.

"How I have missed you, my son." she whispered, and Tony noted that his lover did not look the slightest bit bothered at being called her son. The woman soon let of his and turned to Tony, putting her hands on his shoulders. "And you, Anthony Stark, it is an honour to meet the man who had brought Loki such happiness. And I thank you for bringing my son back to me, not only in physical form, but in heart, also. I know it is you who spurred him to face the Allfather and ask to be returned to Midgard."

Loki coughed quietly. "How?" He didn't look particularly bothered, but confused.

The woman just smiled. "I may not be your mother my blood, but I know you better than most, Loki, and I know when my son is in love. Your whole centre changes, and you look as though you have something else, or someone else, on your mind."

Loki's eyes widened slightly. "I see."

"Anthony Stark, how are you feeling?" She turned back to her son's lover. "I am aware that you are unwell after your travel here."

Tony gave her a charming smile. "I'm fine, thank you, just a bit weak. I'll be fine in a few hours."

"Good," she said. "I cannot have you ill for your tour of the grounds."

"My- my tour?"

"Of course," said Frigga briskly, suddenly straightening, though her eyes still sparkled. "I will arrange that you are accompanied by the Warrior's Three, they seemed eager to meet you. And Sif, too. Is that okay, Loki? I do know how you have had your differences with them as of late, but I don't want you holding up Anthony at the libraries and forgetting to show him the rest of the place."

"I... Suppose." Loki said slowly. "If you insist. Will Thor be accompanying us, or is he to leave for Midgard immediately?"

Frigga nodded. It occurred to Tony that this woman's every movement was elegant. "Oh, yes, of course he will also be with you. I doubt he will leave today, it is tiring for him to be travel back and forth twice in one day."

"Of course," Loki agreed, but there was an edge to his voice, a slightly twinge of displeasure.

Frigga gave him a look, but was smiling. "Now Anthony, if you will be needing anything at all, you can always ask myself, or Loki. Will you two be at dinner?"

Loki shook his head. "I am still technically the disgraced prince, and the nobles would have a fit if I were to show up, let alone with a mortal, without warning. Best let father warn them tonight, and we will attend tomorrow. Besides, Anthony is still weak from travel, and I doubt he would be able to put up with their, ah, boisterous tendencies."

Frigga smirked, and though Tony knew they weren't related, he saw a striking resemblance in the mother and son. "Of course."

She patted Tony's cheek, kissed Loki's, and left them.

"Wow," Tony said after a while. "I like your mum."

* * *

Tony was lying in Loki's bed (he decided he could live out the rest of his days in this bed- he had to get one like this at home) with the other man's chest at his back when a knock came at the door. He groaned internally at the disturbance.

"Brother!" Thor boomed, and Tony laughed a bit at Loki's face. "It is I and the Warrior's Three, and Sif. Mother has informed us we are to show the Man of Iron around the grounds. May we be allowed entrance?"

"No," Loki snapped. "You may not. We will be out in a moment, be patient."

Loki conjured Tony some fresh clothes, like his others but of a slightly more Asgardian style, and changed his own until he was dressed in his usual armour.

He opened the door, his hand again in Tony's, and glared at the people on the other side.

Tony was once again feeling small. The largest man, who introduced himself as Volstagg, had the most facial hair he had ever seen on one person, and towered over Tony embarrassingly. He made a joke about Tony's height, but Thor clapped him on the back and assured him height was no a requirement of a great warrior. Then there was Fandral, whose facial hair was less impressive and more, dare Tony think it, pooncey, and who gave off an air of being better than everyone else. It was clear, and he winked at the billionaire, that he thought he was god's gift to women and, apparently, men, but Loki gripped Tony's hand tighter and almost growled at the man, who held his hands up in apparent surrender, and backed away. Next was Hogan, who seemed to be the more bearable of the "Warrior's Three", who shook Tony's hand, introduced himself, and stepped back politely. Then, of course, there was Sif, who shook his hand as firmly as any man, and whose armour shattered Tony's fantasies of sexy female warriors with large breasts in revealing armour, but he supposed that was just what comic books had told him, and this woman could probably kick his ass and still look attractive while doing it.

All things considered, he supposed that Thor's friends were alright.

So, they started their tour of the grounds, showing Tony some of the most stunning sights he'd ever laid eyes on. The gardens were vast, and filled with plants he'd never seen before, with leaves of gold and reds, and some plants he had seen, but only on TV documentaries of rainforests he'd never really paid much attention to.

They showed the stables, where Tony got the odd pleasure of feeding an apple to Sleipnir (though he'd known about the horse for months, it was still a bit of a shock to come face- to- face) and Tony's heart was warmed at the sight of Loki talking softly to his son, embracing the horse with obvious affection. Only Thor and Tony were present for this, as the other four had opted to wait outside. Thor explained that it was an embarrassment that Loki had been a female, even while in horse form, and that it was even worse he'd given birth to what many called a monster. However, Thor seemed to be quite fond of his 'nephew', despite what most people thought.

"Loki loves his children very much," he told Tony as Loki fed Sleipnir a carrot. "And it pains him that he cannot see them often, if ever. It angers him that Odin rides Sleipnir, for he thinks it is demeaning for him. The Allfather will hear none of it, though."

After being shown the kitchens, craftsman's workshops, libraries (and Tony almost drooled at the knowledge that the smallest one alone probably held), they made it to what Volstagg referred to as "the training area" which was filled with a vast array of medieval (go figure) weapons and men fighting each other, laughing it off when they drew blood, even if it was a lot of blood.

"Anthony Stark!" Fandral exclaimed, grinning. "It would be the highest of honours to face you in a duel. What do you say?"

Tony shrugged apologetically, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, but I don't fight without my suit."

The man frowned. "Surely you, a famous Midgardian warrior, are trained in hand to hand combat. And what is this suit, you speak of?"

Tony felt a bit uncomfortable with the looks he was getting from these guys, almost offended by his denial of that offer. But, he supposed, it was a thing, wasn't it? These guys were practically Vikings, and obviously put plenty of stock in violence and fighting.

Well, though luck for them. "My Iron Man suit," he explained, moving closer to Loki unconsciously. "Or armour, whatever, is an electronic suit of metal that I fight in. It's equipped with what I need to travel and fight my enemies with. I don't really need to fight without it, so..."

Volstagg laughed. "But surely a true warrior can fight whenever the need arises?"

Tony bristled, and he could feel Loki tensing beside him. Once again, the god's arm wrapped around his waist, this time almost protectively. "Look, big guy, I'm not a true warrior. On Earth, we don't really care about these things. I'm an inventor first, and a hero second."

"My friends!" Thor exclaimed with a good natured, if not a bit uneasy laugh. "If you could but see the Man of Iron in battle, your doubts would leave you. He is a worthy opponent."

From beside him, Tony saw Loki about to speak, but he shook his head minutely. The god took a deep breath and glared daggers at Volstagg and Fandral. "If you will excuse us, _friends_ ," his voice was horribly sarcastic at that word. "We will be retiring to my chambers. Good day."

* * *

Loki was angry, that much was obvious to Tony. Loki was angry about the remarks Fandral and Volstagg had made about  _him_ \- that was obvious, too. In fact, the only thing not obvious to the mortal, as he watched Loki pace back on forth in front of him from his spot in a large armchair, was how to calm the god down.

He'd seen Loki genuinely angry a handful of times since  _they_  had started, and those times had dealt with themselves and Loki had been calmed by either to source of his anger or he had snapped himself out of it. Another thing was obvious to Tony- if he didn't intervene, Loki would probably wallow in his anger all night and possibly set something poisonous on the two he felt had wronged him.

"Loki," he said, leaning back in the ( _really, really comfortable_ ) armchair. "What those two idiots said doesn't matter. I tend not to let things get to me when judgement is delivered by people with such stupid facial hair. I mean, Volstagg is practically  _Hagrid_ , and Fandral is probably what Gilderoy Lockhart would look like with a beard. That hair is just  _too_  perfectly coiffed."

Loki paused his pacing. "I know not of whom you speak." His speech had reverted back into full Asgardian style, Tony noted, as it did when he was angry. Or maybe it was just being home made him forget what he'd picked up on Earth. "But your efforts to calm me are much appreciated."

"Are they working?"

Loki smirked. "Of course not."

Tony sighed and leaned forward again. He grabbed Loki's wrist and pulled the man onto his lap so Loki was straddling him, reminiscent of one of the dreams. Loki was tense all over, but some of that was lost when Tony started pressing soft kisses to his neck. "I love you," the billionaire murmured in his ear. "And I don't give a fuck about the approval of people I hope never to see again."

Loki bit his lip. "I suppose you've a point, Anthony." he conceded. "But the urge is still there to set snake on them."

Tony let out a surprised laugh. "Oh wow." he said, shaking his head. "I know you way too well."


	8. Chapter 8

Tony's second day on Asgard was spent entirely in the libraries, reading tome after tome about magic, trying to get a better understanding of it. He was failing, for the most part, but Loki was helping him where he could, explaining things occasionally in more modern English. But the end of the day, however, Tony only left feeling slightly more knowledgeable than when he had arrived.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Tony demanded at one point, throwing a book on the ground, which made dust cloud around him. He sneezed. "It's too complex even for me! I'd have to be here a year to get even a basic understanding of this stuff!"

Loki nodded, not looking up from his book. "Well, yes, I am immortal, Anthony. I spent hundreds of years gaining my knowledge of magic. I remember, at one point, I did not leave a library for three months."

Tony gawked at him. "You were in a library for three months? Without leaving  _at all_?"

Loki looked up, head tilted to the side and a small smile on the corner of his mouth. "My body needs little sustenance, but I ate and napped at least once a week. I was fine, and I've done more odd things. Or shall we take another trip to the stables?"

Loki spent the day reading one particularly large tome in a language Tony was sure didn't exist on Earth. He told Tony that he was reading up on the effects of dream-travel and the influence it has on people, versus the effects of direct mind control. He also said something else, but Tony only understood about half of the words, so he let it go and continued reading a book on what he thought was magic in architecture, but he couldn't be sure because these things took their time getting to the damn point. When he commented on this, Loki gave him a look and said, "Of course. They were written by people who had lived for thousands of years."

All in all, his second day on Asgard was uneventful. When night fell, however, and Loki informed him (with a twist to his mouth like it left a bad taste on his tongue just by saying it) that they were required to be at dinner, things got a bit more exciting.

It started off well. Yes, conversation had hushed when they walked in holding hands, and yes, Tony did get a few mocking looks and remarks about his refusal to fight (Fandral and Volstagg had apparently spread the word). There were even a few whispers from some older gentlemen that Tony, being a mortal and man, was an unsuitable lover for a prince, but he did enjoy himself overall. He sat between Thor and Loki, unfortunately near the Warrior's Three, but he gladly ignored them. Sif, as it turned out, was a lovely woman, and he found out she'd been married to Thor a couple of hundred years ago. He also found out she was one of the highest regarded warriors in Asgard, and he got the distinct feeling she and Natasha would get on well. He said as much, at one point, and the woman had smirked and told him she would very much like to meet this 'Black Widow' at some point.

Tony was a hit with the women, it seemed, and occasionally found himself flirting back at them for a while until Loki's constant grip on his hand became too tight. He made it into a game, and the longest he could get away with flirting with a girl was six minutes before he became worried that his hand would break.

He also realized that Loki was particularly hot when he was jealous, but he decided to stop before the god decided to hurt someone- namely, one of those poor girls who were probably already scarred at the poisonous glares Loki had sent them.

When they, eventually, went back to Loki's rooms, Tony counted it as a win that the god didn't immediately start pacing.

"You really dislike being here, don't you?" Tony remarked as he flopped down on the bed. Loki joined him, and Tony moved the man so he was sitting in front of him. He started kneading at the tense muscles of Loki's shoulders, and was rewarded with a groan.

"I hate it." Loki admitted, closing his eyes. "They have always looked down on me and now more so. And they have the audacity to disapprove of you, like they have a right to voice their opinions out loud."

Tony continued rubbing his lover's back. "It's okay," he told him. "Because they're idiots and I never cared about anyone's approval, anyway. We'll be back on Earth in a few days- I mean, Thor's leaving tonight, right? So he'll clear it up with SHIELD, and if he can't, you'll go there and show them what you've read on the magic, and everything will work out. You'll continue to send out those clones, I'll continue being a super hero, and you'll come back to my place at night and we'll continue having hot, kinky sex on every surface possible."

Loki turned around, his mouth suddenly in a wicked grin, and in one move he had Tony pinned to the bed and their mouths busy in a rough kiss. Tony moaned into his mouth as the god set about undressing them both. "Or, you know," he gasped out as Loki moved his lips to his neck. "We could do that here, too. I've never actually slept with you on this bed in real life, so..."

* * *

While Loki spent most of the morning of day three in the library, Tony's presence had been requested by Frigga. He met the woman in her private sitting room over tea, and for a while they sat in silence.

"I worried about my son's actions on Midgard, when he was released." she said finally. "I worried that he was scheming again, and though the thought pains me, I knew he was entirely capable of such a thing. When he had spent one month on Midgard and Thor brought us no ill news, I was relieved, but the worry was still there. However, when he appeared suddenly here a few days ago, his thoughts were not of the crimes he may have been breaking- and indeed there were a few- but of you. He appeared before the Allfather out of thin air- let me tell you, it came as quite a shock to us. But he did not spare his father a glance, hovering over you like he was, such raw worry and affection on his face. 'Tis not something I have seen from Loki in many, many years."

Tony was a little bit speechless. "I..."

Frigga gave him a warm smile. "I have heard much about the Avengers through Thor, Anthony Stark. He told me your tale, and of..." Her eyes drifted to the arc reactor. "That thing in your chest, keeping you alive. He told me you were taken by enemies, tortured until you would do their bidding, but you showed much intelligence and bravery by defying them under their noses and building the suit that gave you the title Iron Man."

She set her tea down, and placed a hand over Tony's. "Anthony, you've no idea how grateful I am, how grateful the _Allfather_ is –though he will not show it- that you have brought out such goodness in Loki. We had feared him lost to us forever. Despite what the noblemen say, I know you to be a good, intelligent, courageous man, and a fit partner for a prince of Asgard."

Tony bit his lip. "Thank you." he managed, trying to hold back a very uncharacteristic wave of emotion. God dammit, when had he turned into an emotional person? "I love your son," he said. "And it means a lot that we have your approval. Maybe not so much to Loki, well, not so much he'd care to admit, but me? I'm grateful."

The woman squeezed his hand and straightened. It occurred to Tony just how bad his posture was compared the born and bred Asgardian royalty, and he attempted to straighten his back with poor results.

"Now, go," Frigga said. "My son is probably worrying that I am showing you portraits of him as a child. You should ease his worries."

Tony's eye widened, and he was about to ask where he could find such portraits, when Frigga raised a hand. "Tomorrow, perhaps," she said with a wink.

* * *

On day four, Loki took Tony for what would have been regarded as, if they were any other people, an incredibly romantic walk of the gardens. The mischief god showed Tony places his tour had overlooked, secret places Loki assured him few knew about, such as a pond and bench behind a hedge that you had to have magic to be granted access to. They sat there for a while in silence, occasionally stealing a kiss from the other.

"You know," Tony said at one point. "I never saw myself in a relationship like this... Where we enjoy each other's company with clothes on. It's all very new to me. I feel like I'm in some sort of romantic comedy, and that's just worrying."

Loki chuckled. "If it's any consolation, this is one of the longest relationships I've been in, despite my years. Most end when my partners realize they do not want to put up with the god of mischief any extended period of time. You are in the top... ten, I would say."

Tony's eyes widened. "I feel special... Hey, how long has this been going on?"

Loki thought for a moment. "If you count the dreams, I would say five months. I was in my cell for three of those; this was my second month on Earth."

Tony let out a low whistled. " _Damn_."

Loki smiled from his lap. "Indeed."


	9. Chapter 9

Thor returned to Asgard on Tony's sixth day there. In that time, Loki had been studying very intently different types of what he paraphrased as "mind magic" and he explained to Tony that he what he had found showed that his dream manipulation and mind control affected completely different parts of the brain, and then he said something else but most of the words were in another language, so Tony didn't follow.

Thor explained to them, upon returning to the realm, that SHIELD was still suspicious, but Tony and Loki were allowed back on Earth. Tony was, however, cut off from his suits and any Avenger duties until Loki could convince the organisation that Iron Man's mind was his own.

This, of course, was completely idiotic. "I could have gone evil plenty of times in the time I was with you!" Tony said, and was retracting Loki's pacing route with his own steps. "These guys need to relax!"

From his bed, the god let out a humourless laugh. "I  _did_  try to enslave humanity, Anthony."

Tony shrugged. "Oh, that was ages ago, they need to get over it. I did."

"Yes, well," Loki smirked. "I'm not sleeping with SHIELD, am I?"

Tony frowned. "Sex has nothing to do with it. We didn't even sleep together,  _really_ , until I saw you in person, three months in." He paused. "Wow, that's a long time to wait, for me. Usually they only make me wait, like, a few hours."

"We sort of slept together."

"Not the point, there wasn't any  _real_  sex for three months!"

Loki threw a pillow at his lover's head and glared. "Do shut up, Anthony. I'm not some common  _whore._ "

Tony mock-pouted. "Ouch. They weren't whores." When Loki didn't answer, he flopped on the bed beside the man. "You're just jealous. Which is good, because you're hot when you're jealous. And jealousy sex is the best."

Loki moved so he was straddling Tony. His hands went to play with the buttons on the other man's shirt, and his eyes screamed danger. He smirk graced his lips when Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I be jealous when all they got were one night stands, as you call them, and I... Well, I get to keep you." He leaned in to whisper in Tony's ear. "For  _as long as I want_."

Their lips met in a heated kiss, but before they could go any further, there was a knock on the door and Loki groaned. "If we ignore them, will they go away?" he mumbled, pressing his face into Tony's neck. There was another knock.

"Oh, damn it." The god gracefully stood up and strode over to the door. His hand on the handle, he looked back over at Tony. "You may want to uh, cover up your little problem." He looked pointedly at his lover's crotch. Tony scrambled into a sitting position and put a pillow on his lap.

"There's nothing little nor problematic about it."

There was yet another knock, so Loki quickly opened the door to reveal a nervous looking servant.

"My Lord, the Allfather wished to see you and Master Stark." he said, head bowed. "He is waiting in the throne room."

Loki slammed the door in the servant's face and cursed.

* * *

"That could have gone worse," Tony said two hours later as they were standing on the Bifrost, waiting to be sent home. "I could be dead."

"Or a small woodland animal," Loki muttered, sending Tony a glare. "And then what would I do? I wouldn't have been able to change you back, not if the Allfather was the one to cast the spell in the first place."

Tony shrugged. "But I'm alive, very much human, and on my way home where I will, hopefully, stay."

Loki let out a frustrate sigh. "Anthony, you obviously do not understand the gravity of what you just did. You said, and I quote,  _"Let's face it; you're a pretty crappy father."_  To the Allfather.  _To the king_!"

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true and you know it."

"You insulted the Allfather! If it weren't for Frigga's intervention, you would be in several pieces on throne room floor!"

"Somebody needed to say it. Plus, it's not like you're overly fond of the guy."

Loki glared again. "You do not understand, Anthony! I feared for your life! For a moment I was prepared to offer myself in your place, for I was sure Odin was to smite you."

He expected Tony to say something (he always had to get the last word) but none came. Loki watched as his lover's face changed into an expression he could not read.

"You... You were going to offer yourself in my place? Your life?"

Oh.

That.

Loki was glad he was not one prone to blushing. He took a deep breath and forced himself to look in Anthony's eyes. He was, and he'd be the first to tell you, a very selfish person, so he supposed it must have been a surprise that he'd give his immortal life for the one of a human he'd been involved with for mere months."I suppose so, yes."

"Oh." A pause. "I would, too, of course. I mean, I don't know how important my life is compared to yours, but if it came down to it, I don't think I'd be able to see you die. Oh wow, how weird is that? I didn't think it would be possible for someone to affect me so much in so little time."

Loki's eyes flashed for a moment. "Your life is worth of much more than mine."

"Not really," Tony said, shrugging. "You're a god."

"You're  _you_."

And before Tony could figure out how to reply, he was falling back to Earth and was very glad that he was unconscious last time he travelled between realms.

* * *

They landed unceremoniously on the floor of the shared living space of Stark tower, right in the middle of a group of couches that sat the Avengers and Pepper.

The group, who had apparently been waiting for them, stared at them in surprise for a moment before Thor let out a happy laugh and helped them to their feet. Loki narrowed his eyes at the offered hand and chose instead to pick himself up, but Tony didn't really care about dignity or any of that because he was probably going to faint or-

"I think I'm gonna puke."

Loki conjured a bucket for him, and everyone politely looked away as he emptied the contents of his stomach.

When Tony was finished and had downed a cup of water, he was pulled into the arms of Pepper, whose eyes were suspiciously red.

"How could you do that to me?!" She demanded, holding his at arm's length.

Tony weakly tried to look indignant. "I didn't exactly choose to be taken prisoner by what I thought was an ally organisation, one that I  _work_  for, be broken out by my god-of-mischief boyfriend and taken to the realm of the gods for most of a week."

She glared at him. "You could have been killed." She turned to Loki, who met her gaze evenly. "Thor told me he could have been  _killed_ on Asgard."

"I would never have allowed that," Loki said, completely at ease. "Neither would have Thor, or even my mother. She would never see somebody I care about dead."

Pepper frowned. "I don't believe you," she said, ignoring Tony's protest that, _'Hey, Frigga's great.'_

"Of course not," Loki said, shrugging. "I'm the god of lies."

Steve spoke up before Pepper could reply. "It's good to have you back, Tony." he said. "And, uh, thank you, Loki. Even though his freedom could have been achieved through less drastic means."

"Perhaps," came the simple answer.

Natasha and Clint stepped forward together. Clint was frowning, Natasha looked indifferent.

"Welcome back, Iron Man," she said. "We're to inform you that you will not be allowed access to your suits, which have already been taken to SHEILD headquarters, and you are temporarily relieved of your Avenger duties. Mr Odinson-"

"Liesmith, if you don't mind."

She gave him a nod. "Mr Liesmith, Thor has informed SHIELD that you have information that can prove Tony's fine. We have readings of the magic in his body, and it appears to be mainly in his mind, which is, of course suspicious. Thor says you have a book? Well, he and you will need to show that to our doctors."

"Thor, too?"

"I believe that it is in another language, is it not? We can't trust you to translate it yourself, what with you being, well, you, so Thor had volunteered to come in to back up your word."

Thor nodded seriously. "Tis a shame they cannot trust you, brother."

Loki gave Natasha a nod, and Clint spoke up, addressing Tony.

"I'm not about to apologise for what I did, but I'm glad you're back."

Tony's smile was only slightly friendly. "You should apologise, you know."

"I was doing my job."

"You were being a dick."

"Who cares?" That was Bruce. "The important thing is that Tony is back and Loki's going to prove he's fine in the head."

Tony grinned at the doctor. "Okay, fine. I'll let it go. But hey, you need to show me how your project's been going while I was away. Is it okay if I bring Loki with me? I told him about it, and he's interested in seeing how the scanner works and..."


	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks after returning from Asgard, things were almost normal in Tony's life. If you could define normal as  _being a superhero_  or  _living with other superheroes and assassins_  or _being in a serious relationship_  or  _being in a serious relationship with the god of mischief_. If you could define that as normal, well, yes- Tony's life was almost back to normal.

Almost being the operative word.

Never in Tony's life had he been as close to anyone as much as he was Loki, and he was starting to understand why. He'd known in the past that the dream magic that Loki performed was intimate and powerful, and he knew that their dreams were almost too vivid to be safe, but he'd never given it much thought until he realized that he could sense when Loki was closeby.

The first time it happened he didn't even realize. It was the day after he'd returned from Asgard and he was resting in bed without plans of getting up. As comfortable as Loki's bed was, he preferred his own purely due to familiarity (that's not to say he didn't get  _very_ acquainted with the bed on Asgard, because he did) and it was nice to be there, even alone.

Tony never thought he'd see the day where sharing a bed with someone (without necessarily having sex) was something he was used to and  _liked_.

And Loki was suddenly in the room. He was drowsy, and it hadn't occurred to him until much later that he shouldn't have known that- his eyes were closed, hell, his head was under his blanket, and the god was always silent in his movements, and his teleportation didn't make any sound. So, Tony shouldn't have realized he was there, but a part of his brain informed him that Loki was and he'd just gone with it.

And it happened more and more. Tony instinctively knew when the god was about to teleport in, or when Loki was walking up the hall (having been given his own rooms in the mansion at Thor's insistence, and sometimes he needed to preserve his magic and opted out of teleportation) or even when his lover was about to speak.

Now, two weeks after his life was supposed to go back to being relatively normal, he was stewing over what that meant.

So he was magically connected to Loki. He could live with that- he even found it cool. But what if the magic had affected his brain, or his emotions? He knew he was in love with the guy, but had the dream magic given him a push of encouragement that neither party knew about? After all, he'd fallen pretty fast. As far as he knew, Loki had only had limited knowledge of the magic he was using when he'd first visited Tony. But it just seemed so reasonable that the magic had played a part in their relationship that was bigger than they knew, and Tony didn't like that possibility.

* * *

Loki has adjusted quite well to the limited magic at his disposal, and these days he barely felt the absence of the more sinister of his powers. However, since he'd arrived back on Earth after his unfortunate visit to Asgard, he's noticed a symptom of something he was almost certain he had no ability to do anymore.

He was starting to be able to sense Anthony in ways he shouldn't have been able to. He could tell when he was closeby without any logical way of knowing, he could tell when he was about to speak and, once or twice, he had felt a strong surge of emotion that wasn't his, and the only person he could think it belonged to was his lover.

These, he knew, were often what happened when a person formed a soul-bond, but he knew that couldn't be true. Soul-bonds, as well as showing those symptoms, also gave the parties involved the ability to control each other's emotions, or in extreme cases, kill the other. Not to mention the extremely elaborate, dark-magic ritual involved that he certainly would never be able to perform in this situation.

So, naturally, this new sense of his must be due to the dream magic. He cursed himself for not researching it earlier, but didn't regret it. After all, he'd been saved by Tony and wouldn't give up his relationship with the man for the world. Literally.  
Loki wondered if there was someone who would be able to inform him more of dream magic than those dusty old books had been able, and after days of puzzling over this new predicament he swallowed his pride and approached Thor.

"Thor," he whispered as he slowly opened the door of his brother's (ex, he had to remind himself, ex-brother's) rooms, knowing that Thor would probably be awake and training at this hour, but would be able to hear him with the acute hearing all Aesir possessed. True enough, Thor emerged soon after from his training room, barely sweating despite the rigorous training he carried out every morning, and smiled when he saw Loki.

"Brother! Is there something I can help you with?" The thunder god was wearing that eager-to-please-puppy look on his face that had always vaguely annoyed Loki.

"I require your assistance," Loki said carefully. "For something of the utmost sensitivity."

Thor regarded his brother seriously for a moment, and then nodded. "I would be glad to help. What is it that you need me to do?"

Loki sighed and ran his hand through his hair, a habit it had picked up from Anthony when he was uneasy (was that, too, because of the dreams?) "There is something odd going on in the bond Anthony and I share because of the dreams. I am starting to sense him, his presence, and a few times even his emotions. Of course you understand that this is worrying. The dreams affect the soul, and these symptoms are reminiscent of that of a soul-bond, as I'm sure you recognise, and I need to know if this will escalate. If you are able, Thor, I would wish for you to visit Asgard and inquire of the Allfather and the elder sorcerers, see if there is more to the dreams than books can tell us. Are you able, Thor?"

Thor looked thoughtful for a moment then smiled. "Of course, brother, I would be glad to do this for you."

Loki nodded slowly. "I would, of course, owe you a favour in return."

"No, Loki, there is no need." He shook his head. "You are my brother, and I will not ask for anything in return."

"I do wish you would not call me that," Loki scowled, more annoyed than genuinely upset at the use of the word. "We are not brothers."

"We are," Thor said, unbothered for once by his brother's dismissal of their history. "I know you dislike the title, but one day you will realize that it is what is in your heart that counts, and despite the fact that we are not blood related, we were raised brothers and therefore we are."

Thor looked so sure of himself that Loki couldn't really think of a retort.

* * *

Clint forced himself to not feel guilty as he walked to Fury's office on the Helicarrier, earning odd looks from SHIELD agents, having become somewhat of a celebrity lately. He came to the Helicarrier less and less often these days, and he knew he wouldn't be assigned any missions while the Avengers Initiate was active. The archer smirked a little to himself (yeah, they still had to occasional battle, once a month maybe, but the majority of his duties involved patrols of the city once a week- the world wasn't threatened all that often)but sobered up when he got to Fury's office and opened the door without knocking.

The director glanced at him and put down the paperwork he was filling out. "Agent Barton, Hill told me you'd shown up. What can I do for you?"

He helped himself to a seat and put on his usual air of casualness. "It's about Loki, sir. He's living in the mansion, and I respect that because technically Tony still owns it, but that doesn't mean I like it. I don't trust the guy- once a cold-blood-psychopathic-murderer, always a cold-blood-psychopathic-murderer, am I right?"

Fury raised an eyebrow. "Loki has proved that he's not doing anything to Stark, and he can't use any evil magic. There's nothing we can do that will not directly insult Asgard, and we can't start an incident, can we?"

Clint slumped a little in his chair. "But he killed Coulson," he said quietly.

There was a thick silence in the room. Fury sighed, and almost sounded regretful. "I know you and Coulson were close, Barton, but you know there's nothing we can do. But rest assured, if the god steps one toe out of line, we're well within our rights to arrest him. Hell, you can do the arresting yourself."

Clint felt slightly better at that. "Isn't there something we can do, though? Anything to restrict him more?"

"He's doing everything right, Agent. Every day our eyes around New York report that his clones are out doing their community service, and the most harm he's done since getting back to Earth was when he broke Stark out of his containment, and Thor made it pretty clear that if we didn't excuse him for that, Asgard wouldn't be happy. Something about his right to defend his lover and honour and all that."

The archer frowned. "I don't like it. We should be able to govern Loki by our own rules. We are on Earth, after all."

"Unfortunately, Barton, there's nothing we can do. If Asgard were to invade... We wouldn't stand a chance. But keep an eye on him, just in case."

* * *

Tony frowned briefly and wondered why he wasn't sleeping before recognising the unique sensation of being awake in a dream. He smiled a bit, but it was slightly uneasy as Loki came into view and he was reminded of his new-found sixth sense. He tried to hide that as he stepped into his lover's arms (they were in a plainly furnished lounge room this time, not one Tony was familiar with) and laid his head on the taller man's chest.

"What's wrong?" Loki murmured, his hands sliding up and down Tony's back in a soothing gesture. Tony's cursed his intuitiveness.

"Nothing," he said, trying to concentrate on the hands on his back that were sliding under his shirt. "I'm just... I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"I know that feeling," the god said, sighing. There was a pause. "We haven't seen each other as much as usual, in the last couple of weeks. I have found myself missing you."

Tony almost didn't reply, too caught up on the feeling of those hands on his skin. Loki trailed his fingers up and down his sides before coming to a rest on the mortal's stomach. Tony shivered at the touch and allowed his lips to be captures in a soft kiss. He would never get sick, he decided, of the reassuring comfort that this closeness to the god offered.

"Yeah," he said finally. He rested his face in the crook of Loki's neck. "I've missed you too, I guess."

The stood like that for a long time, eventually moved to a couch where they just lay there, lost in their own thoughts. When Tony found himself waking up, Loki spoke.

"I will not see you today, Anthony; I have things to deal with. But when I do see you again, we have to have a talk, do you understand? It is of vital importance."

"Sure," Tony mumbled sleepily, not quite processing those words. "See ya, Loks."

There was a chuckle. " _Don't_ call me that again."


	11. Chapter 11

"Loki's here," Tony said, sitting up suddenly from the couch he was lounging on. The team were watching a movie and none had heard or seen any sign of the god's arrival- even Natasha and Clint, easily the most observant of the group, hadn't noticed anything. Thor frowned from his place on the floor and said softly, "Man of Iron, are you sure?"

However, as Tony had said, Loki stalked regally (Tony was sure the god turned up the whole  _royalty_  thing when he was around the other Avengers) and offered it occupants a polite greeting. His lover jumped up and walked quickly over to him, pulling the god into a side room before greeting him with a quick kiss. He didn't want to push the team's limits with PDA- and he knew they'd be watching, as they always did when Loki was in the room, keeping one eye on him just in case he was up to something. Even Thor was cautious around his brother.

When the unlikely couple had left the room, Clint jumped from his place in the rafters and glared after them. His fists were clenched tightly at his side, like they always were when Loki was around. "What was that?" he demanded. "How did he know that? Not even  _I_  heard him arrive!"

Thor coughed. "Perhaps my brother sent ahead a text message?"

Natasha shook her head. "No, we would have noticed, and Jarvis didn't say anything."

"Is it creepy magic shit?" Clint asked, climbing back up to his 'nest'. Thor considered telling them, but he knew the new connection between Anthony and his brother was sensitive and mainly unknown, and he knew until he had consulted the elder sorcerers on Asgard (he was due to leave tomorrow) and had found out more on the dream magic's affects, Loki would not want the Avengers to know. They did not want SHIELD to have another excuse to contain the Man of Iron (though he doubted they would, after last time.)

So Thor feigned ignorance. "I do not know," he said. "But I'm sure it is nothing."

Clint looked down on Thor like he could tell he was lying, but let it go.

* * *

Tony led Loki to his personal rooms, registering the tense mood that followed them in, but he kept his smile in place.

"What do you want to talk about?" Tony asked they sat down on one of his lush couch. "This important thing."

Loki was silent for a few moments, watching his lover silently before speaking softly. "Have you also noticed... changes... in our, for lack of better word, connection? I am not sure if it is just me, but I have been sensing things I shouldn't be, such as when you are around and when you feel strong emotions."

Tony's easy smile froze, and then fell. "Oh. That. Yeah, yeah, I noticed that." He looked away, not meeting Loki's eyes. "Do you... Do you know what's going on?"

Loki grabbed Tony's hand. The billionaire ran his thumb gently over the back off Loki's hand and the god found it oddly soothing.

"I am sorry, Anthony, but I do not. I apologise for not realising that the dreams would have an affect like this, and I hope that you are not too unnerved. Thor is visiting Asgard for me to ask some of the elder sorcerers, but until I can find an explanation, I do not think it wise for me to visit you in your dreams. It may have more... unforeseen effects. Dream magic is not often used to this extent."

Tony frowned and didn't say anything. He was staring at their intertwined hands. He nodded once.

Loki let out a quiet sigh,

"Anthony..."

"Okay!" Tony said suddenly, like he'd just been broken out of a deep thought. "Yeah, okay, that's good!"

"You are troubled."

"No shit."

Loki frowned. "Tell me why."

He didn't get a reply and the god found himself growing irritated. He squeezed his lover's hand tightly and continued to add pressure until he got an actual reaction from the man. Finally, Tony yanked his hand away from Loki and jumped up with a frustrated growl.

"Jesus!" he exclaimed. "Look, this has just been freaking me out, that's all, okay?! I get that you didn't know this would happen, but you're used to magic, and I'm not! Sure, at first, I was cool with the whole dream connection thing, how  _close_  they are, that was okay... But this... I  _am_  unnerved! I don't understand your magic, not matter how hard I try, but the other day I fucking felt your  _emotion_!"

Loki pursed his lips. "I'm so sorry I didn't see this coming, Anthony."

"Does it matter?" Tony sat down next to him again, their thighs pressing together and the sound of his heavy breathing the only sound in the room. His movements were stiff. "We can sort this out. If we stop, uh, dreaming for a while, will it go away? Or at least fade?"

"I do not know, but I assume so."

Tony lost track of how long they say in silence, lost in their own thoughts, but when he finally spoke he tried to keep his tone even. He knew Loki was in just as bad a mood as he was- annoyed, tense, and unsure.

"Are  _you_  okay?"

Loki gave one quick nod. "I dislike not knowing things, but I'm sure I can work this problem out."

A pause. "Are  _we_ okay?"

Loki looked at him briefly with a small smile. He grabbed Tony's hand again and squeezed it softly. "Yes. Of course."

"Are you sure?"

Loki hesitated and leaned in closer to rest his head on Tony's shoulder. "That's up to you."

* * *

Loki woke up early the next day and met Thor in the living room of the mansion, noting that his brother was in his usual Asgardian wear. The two gods greeted each other politely as they ate their breakfast, then ventured onto the roof so Loki could send his brother back to their home realm.

"Are you sure you understand what I need, Thor?" the god of mischief asked before he cast the spell. "This is of vital importance."

Thor nodded. "Of course, brother. But are you really this concerned? Surely nothing harmful can come of this?"

"Anthony does not like it," Loki said. "And these symptoms, as I have told you, are reminiscent of a soul bond. You know why I'm worried- if the dreams have somehow caused a bond to have formed, Anthony's life could be in danger. As could mine. I have seen a bonded pair in action; they got into a horrible fight one night and one of the killed the other- then themselves. I need to know that what is happening with us will pass."

The god of thunder nodded and gripped Mjolnir tightly as he braced himself for the unpleasant sensation of teleportation.

* * *

"Where's Thor?" Steve asked as he walked into the kitchen a few hours later, already showered and dressed and had been through his morning workout, unlike Tony who had only woken up ten minutes ago at Loki's insistence, or Bruce who'd been up for an hour and was still in his pyjamas and looking drowsy- he'd been up for most of the night after the movie working on a project.

Loki didn't look up from the book he was reading. "He's in Asgard."

The captain blinked. "Why?"

"I do not see how that is any of your concern."

Steve frowned. "But he's a part of our team, and-"

Loki rolled his eyes and let out an over-dramatic sigh that had Tony chuckling. "He's the prince of Asgard, Rogers, and he has duties there as well as here. Duties that he had been neglecting, mind you. That is the purpose of this visit."

Bruce Loki a look, then turned to Steve. "He's got a point, Captain."

The blonde went on frowning for a few moments. "I still don't like it."

"You don't have to," came Tony's voice. Loki shot him what the team had secretly dubbed the "Tony Smile"- that is, the only genuine smile Loki had ever worn when the team was around. The lovers' eyes met and they stared at each other for a moment until Bruce became uncomfortable and coughed to break them out of it.

"Please, the sexual tension is making me awkward."

Steve went a tiny bit red from his place at the toaster but laughed. Tony winked at his friend and stood up, dragging Loki up with him (the god growled but allowed himself to be pulled.)

"Well, m'dear, it seems we're not welcome here. Bruce is probably just jealous that he's not tapping this."

The scientist rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Tony."

"Yes," Loki said he was pulled out of the room. "Do shut up. And do not call me 'dear' again."

When they had left, Bruce looked down at his coffee and frowned. He couldn't be sure, but he felt as though there was some sort of tension between Tony and Loki when they'd been talking about Thor. He couldn't say he was an expert on people, and the two had been acting relatively normal, but there was something on Tony's face that had Bruce thinking there was more to Thor's visit. Had something happened between the couple? He was a bit sketchy on the details, but he knew this could have something to do with Loki's magic inside Tony. That would explain Thor suddenly visiting Asgard without as much as a goodbye.

But then, Bruce thought as he took a sip of his drink, he could be wrong.

* * *

Tony knew he was being ridiculous. These magical side effects of the dreams had really gotten to him, especially when he could feel Loki's emotions- early this morning he'd woken up to an empty bed (regardless of Loki's personal rooms, he still slept mostly in Tony's) and the strangest feeling of nervousness that he knew wasn't his own. He'd had no idea what to think. This wasn't something he'd ever thought he'd have to deal with.

Unfortunately, he was also being stubborn... to himself.

One part of Tony was being logical, telling him the effects would subside, that everything would work itself out, that he was a big boy and could deal with a few stray emotions. However, another part, possibly the part that still went " _holy shit magic what the fuck_ " was telling him that this was weird, that this could be dangerous if it grew, that this wasn't something he should be dealing with because he was not a god and he was not built for magic. That part had been speaking to him when he'd first started the dreams, too, but he'd squashed it every time it made an appearance until now.

The "holy shit" part was the stubborn part.

Tony cursed himself and the different parts of his mind.

He was in his personal lab and enjoying a few hours of peace, just improving his suit and writing out ideas for new bits and bobs, something he'd sorely missed in the last few months. He'd been busy with Loki and the team and that whole contained- by- SHIELD thing that he'd not been having much time to himself and his tech.

"Jarvis, have I changed?"

" _Not that I know of, sir. All your bodily functions seem the same as last time and your arc reactor is healthy and not malfunctioning in any way. Unless you count changes such as hair growth."_

 _"_ Oh, ha ha. _"_

But... Tony's hand came up to the reactor and frowned. He didn't think he'd ever told Loki the story of how he'd gotten it, and the god had never asked. It was such a large part of his life and who he was, and the man he loved didn't know. A thought occurred to him.

"Jarvis... Loki's adopted, isn't he?"

" _The records state that he is, sir. His father was the Frost Giant, Laufey."_

Tony bit his lip. "Frost Giant... But what exactly  _is_  Frost Giant?"


	12. Chapter Twelve

Thor never liked visiting Asgard's most senior sorcerer, a haggard old woman simply called Elise. It is true that her name had changed over the centuries she had been alive, but it had not changed in a few hundred years. Elise was a bitter woman, but she held much loyalty to the throne, there were even rumours that she was in love with the Allfather, and was one of Odin's wisest advisors, especially in times of war, for she was a skilled tactician. Thor disliked her mainly due to her indifferent attitude toward Midgardians. He had more than once heard her trying to convince Odin not to assist Earth's inhabitants when they sorely needed it.

He knew she would inwardly resent helping Anthony, no matter how outstanding he was compared to most mortals. However, he was certain she would help due to her strong sense of duty toward Asgardian royalty.

He entered her chambers with a soft call of, "Witch?... Elise?"

There was a rustling in a corner of the cluttered workshop and the hag appeared with a smirk on her grizzled old face. She bowed.

"Can I be of service, my lord?"

Thor didn't like the way she addressed him. Respectful, but there was something else underneath it. He wondered how his father put up with this woman.

"Sorcerer, I come to you in hopes that you will be willing to help me find information on a rare type of magic that is affecting a friend of mine," he said, but his tone made it clear that she was expected co-operate. "Dream magic, to be more specific."

The smirk disappeared and was replaced with an unnervingly unreadable expression. "I see."

Thor took a deep breath. "I need information on bonds made between those who share dreams, and I need it fast."

"Not even a please for your faithful old witch?"

The thunder god sighed. "My apologies. I mean no disrespect, but this is a matter of extreme importance. I am only going to be on Asgard for a very limited amount of time."

Elise's face twisted into a grimace. "Of course. You are the human protector, are you not? Foolish, if you ask my, my lord. Humans do not deserve nor appreciate your help."

Thor bristled. "Either way, I shall do my duty to protect them."

"And this information... The dream magic... Is it for a human? And I'm guessing your brother, as he is one of the only ones on Midgard who is powerful enough to make a dream bond."

The woman walked around her workshop as they spoke, flipping through large tomes and dusty scrolls that sat in large piles around the place. They were silent for a moment as she continued her search, and Thor examined a collection of glowing stone pendants and stones on the wall next to him.

The hag suddenly let out a soft exclaim and bustled up to him. "I think I have found what you are looking for, my lord. This book contains, and it is a quite reliable source, information on all different types of magical bonds. Dream bonds are extremely rare, as dream magic is, but when they do happen, they are a type of soul-bond..." The witch looked up with a glint in her eye. "Troubling indeed. Our dear estranged prince and his mortal toy, bonded for life. They say that it is impossible to break a soul-bond, my lord."

"Speak with respect for Loki and his... friend."

The hag laughed. "Ah, I am sorry, my lord. Of course. Now know, soul-bonds are very powerful, though of course your brother knows this. Over time they will feel each other's emotions, sense each other's presence, though this will probably have happened already, if they suspect this. Of course, if they stop using the dream connection, the symptoms will fade, but not completely. And of course, remember; characteristics and abilities may be shared or transferred, and if one dies, the other will, too."

* * *

When Loki arrived after his daily round of do-gooding (which Tony teased him mercilessly about) that afternoon, he found Tony in his lab, working on his suit, and in a state of complete concentration- how, Loki did not know, as he was blasting that horrible Midgardian rock music so loudly that he shouldn't have even been able to hear himself think. Thankfully, Jarvis turned the music off and informed Tony of his guest, and soon Loki was in his arms, being kissed passionately.

"Well," he breathed when they pulled apart. "What was that about?"

Tony grinned sheepishly. "I want to ask you something. About yourself. It's important."

Loki quirked an eyebrow. "Go on."

The billionaire took a deep breath. "Don't freak out, but... What's a Frost Giant?"

Loki stepped back. "Oh."

"Please, please, please don't get offended! I just want to know. I mean, I always knew you were one, but I don't exactly know what that is, and I don't want to hear it from someone else or by accident 'cause I know it's a sore spot for you and I love you, so-"

He stopped speaking as Loki's skin turned a rich, dark blue, with darker lines in patterns all over him, and his eyes turned a bright, dangerous red. The room's temperature dropped significantly, and Loki let out a deep breath.

"Frost Giants," he said. "Are Asgard's sworn enemy. We are monsters, evil and cruel, who reside on Jotunheim. All Asgardians hate us, as we hate all Asgardians."

"We?"

"Well, yes," said Loki. "I am one, after all. Though I must admit they are usually larger, uglier. I was a runt- that's why I was left to die the night Odin found me."

Tony shook his head. "You're no monster. You weren't raised that way, so you aren't one of them."

Loki's skin faded into its normal form. He met his lover's eye. "Are you disgusted?"

Tony's expression turned into one of shock, and he shook his head.

"No, no, no!" he said hurriedly. "I think you're beautiful!"

"There's no need to  _lie_ , Anthony."

"I'm not! You honestly are!"

Loki stared at him for a moment, the nodded, his eyes softening.

"Thank you. You are the first person to look at my true form and not hate it.  _Thank you_."

* * *

When Thor arrived back at the tower that evening, he was met by Steve, who tried (and failed) to get him to admit why he was on Asgard.

"Asgardian business!" the thunder god boomed, patting Steve on the back with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "None of your concern, Captain!"

He then made his way to Loki's rooms, where the trickster let him in and they spent hours holed up in there, talking about matters the group couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"There's probably just something happening on Asgard, guys," Natasha tried to convince Clint and Steve (and herself) as they prepared dinner. "It can't be a big deal, if Thor's not talking about it, so we should let it go."

"What if Loki's dying?" Clint asked a bit  _too_  hopefully, and Natasha skilfully threw a carrot at him as if it were a throwing knife.

"Tony would destroy you if he heard you saying that," she told the archer, who shrugged. Steve still looked uncomfortable.

"But what if we could help?" he asked. "Wouldn't Thor trust us?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "We don't even know what's going on, and not everything is a crisis that needs our help."

"Even still," muttered the Captain, looking down.

"I get it, though," Natasha said. "I mean, I don't approve of this secrecy. Secrets in a team group never end well, do they?"

 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_"The temperature is below fifty degrees, sir. Are you sure you want me to go lower?"_

Tony frowned. And he thought.

"Yes."

The temperature of his workshop dropped ten degrees, and still Tony was only just starting to become chilly.

"Sir, this is quite unusual. My readings inform me that your body is acting as though you are at room temperature. Are you ill?"

"No. You know we've already tested for that, Jarvis."

"Of course sir, but there's no harm in asking again. Would you like me to contact Loki?"

Tony's head snapped at the closest of Jarvis' sensors. "What?"

"Loki is a Frost Giant, sir, and he himself has a very high resistance of cold temperatures."

"Are you implying what I think you're implying, Jarv?"

"I am implying nothing, sir."

But he was. Tony knew he was. The AI was hinting at the one possibility that had been lingering at the back of Tony's mind, the one possibility, the likely possibility, that he was still in denial about. That he was still concerned about. That he was still scared of, because he didn't understand it and that was not a feeling he had ever been used to.

"Do you think this has something to do with the dreams and shit?"

"I wouldn't know, sir, but I would say that it's definitely a possibility."

Jarvis informed him that Loki was in deep discussion with Thor (about what, the AI could not say, as there were no microphones in people's personal rooms, and the only video cameras were for security reasons and in their sitting rooms) and told Tony that he had informed the Asgardians that Tony wanted to see them.

They appeared in his workshop and immediately Thor looked uncomfortable with the freezing cold, but not overly so. Loki definitely noticed it, but he didn't react. His eyes scanned Tony and noticed his distinct lack of shivering. He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Anthony?"

"Yeah, weird right?"

Thor looked troubled. "You are not feeling the full effect of this cold. Not as a human should."

"Yeah, I got that, big guy."

The thunder god turned to his brother. "It is just as we feared, isn't it, Loki?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Tony coughed. "As much fun as it is being ignorant, I do sorta like being in the know, guys."

Loki walked over and sat gracefully on one of the stools beside Tony. Immediately, their hands intertwined out of habit. Thor watched the gesture and hid his smile as Loki began to speak.

"What we have, Anthony, is a soul bond. I have not studied this sort of magic greatly, so I needed confirmation. Thor found it. The symptoms you have already experienced are obvious, but there are others. We are sharing things such as characteristics. This is one of them. You are more resistant to the cold, because I am a Frost Giant. I would be willing to bet that I have become sore susceptible to human illnesses, though that is less extreme. There is also the fact that if one of us dies, the other will feel it. The other might even die themselves."

Tony closed his eye and processed that information. "Is there a way to break it?"

"No."

He opened his eyes, and saw the genuine regret and guilt in Loki's eyes. His heart clenched, and he squeezed the god's hand.

"Okay. Okay."

He tried to send a silent message to Loki _\- it's not your fault_. It wasn't, was it? Loki had no idea this would happen, did he? He couldn't be blamed, no matter how much the selfish part of Tony wanted to blame him, to be angry, to scream and shout and over-react because that was his automatic reaction to difficult situations with women (or, apparently, men).

But he couldn't because he knew, deep down, that Loki's guilt was real. In fact, now that he thought about it, he could probably tell because of this stupid soul-bond.

So he just sat there in silence holding the god's hand for hours – or was it minutes?- not acknowledging Thor as he left the two to their own thoughts, and not acknowledging Jarvis when he said it was dinner time, or Clint when he banged on the door of the workshop to demand that he get his arse upstairs.

* * *

 _Well_ , Natasha thought to herself as she crawled out of the air vents above Tony's workshop,  _that's something_. In her mind, she relayed what she had just learned:

Tony and Loki had a soul bond.

Tony was more resistant to colder temperatures now, because of Loki's frost giant heritage.

Loki was becoming slightly more mortal.

If one of them died, the other might die, too.

Though now that she thought about it, even without the soul bond, if one died, the other might too. They were close, so close, in a way that she knew was very uncharacteristic for both of them. They were so in love it made her ever so slightly envious- not that she was looking for love.  _Love is for children_ , she repeated to herself.

Natasha tried to imagine how Tony would react to Loki dying. He'd withdraw, start drinking more heavily than ever, throw himself into his inventions, and when people tried to talk to him, he'd lash out. He'd do something stupid to get himself killed.

If Tony died, Natasha knew, she would want to get out of the country as soon as possible. Fuck serving her country; she wasn't an idiot enough to try to deal with an angry god. Loki would be angry, he'd be consumed by rage, and turn against the Avengers and the country and possibly the planet. Maybe others, too. There would be few able to stand in his way, with his powers fuelled by grief and rage and pain. Thor might have been able to face him, but short of killing his brother, there would be few ways the thunder god would be able to stop him permanently.

Even without the bond, if Tony died, the planet would be doomed.

Even without the bond, if Loki died, Tony would be doomed.

Natasha thought about telling Clint about this development, but decided against it. Clint was her friend, and she cared about him, but she knew he'd be angry and try to do something drastic, like kicking Tony off the team. He meant best, but Natasha trusted her instinct that, as long as Tony was fine, Loki wouldn't suddenly go back to his repressed evil ways. It was just a matter of making sure Tony was fine. It was an unsound plan at most, but she couldn't help but want her ex-boss to stay on the team.

 _Sentiment_ , she thought, annoyed.

* * *

"Miss Romanoff," Loki said smoothly as the assassin walked into his rooms unannounced. "I was expecting you to pay me a visit. Please, sit down." He gestured to the couch opposite to the one he was lounged on, and Natasha took the invitation.

"You know I was there," she said with a firm nod. "I thought so. I want to talk about this bond."

The god arched an eyebrow. "And what makes you think I will cooperate?"

"Because you know somebody else has to know about this bond. From what I've heard, there are dangers for both you and Tony, and Thor won't be around all the time. If something happens, somebody needs to know what to do."

"There is little a mortal could do to help us if something happens to the other."

"Okay, so, tell me the little."

Loki sighed. "From what I have guessed, and I loathe guessing, but that stupid witch gave Thor far too little information, if I were, for example, fatally wounded, and dying slowly, the longer it takes for me to die, the more it affects Anthony. I do not want that to happen."

Natasha nodded. "So if you're wounded, you want me or Thor to..."

"End it," Loki confirmed. "As quickly as possible. I shall explain the situation to Anthony, so he does not resent you, but yes. The best way would be to stab me in the heart with an Asgardian blade. I always have one on me, so it would not be hard to find it."

Natasha felt a small pang of sadness in her heart at the thought of Tony having to live without what appeared to be the love of his life, but shook it off. "I understand. Are you sure you want me to do this, if the time ever comes?"

"I am sure."

"Good." She stood up and excused herself from the room. However, she paused in the doorway and looked at the pensive look on Loki's face. "I hope," she said quietly. "For both your sake and Tony's, that I never have to do that."

"As do I."

As Loki was lying in his bed that night, alone because Anthony was working on his Iron Man suit, he thought about the wound on upper left thigh- a clean, smooth cut that was deep enough that it almost nicked arteries, that bled profusely and made him quite dizzy from blood loss, that had still not healed. He sighed and sent some of his magic to the cut he had inflicted upon himself, feeling the skin stitch together and the dried blood vanish. It was slower than usual, and he thought he knew why.

Anthony was becoming more powerful. He was taking some of Loki's characteristics, a part of Loki's immortal soul, into his, and intertwining it to change his nature.

And Loki, well, Loki was taking some of Anthony's very mortal soul, and doing the same thing. It was changing his nature, and soon, he worried that he would meet his lover halfway. That he and Tony would soon be on the same level- Tony rising, and he himself falling.

A small part of him felt disgusted that he could soon be just a step above mortal. Another, foolish part feared that he would no longer be of interest to Anthony, if they were completely equals. That he would be abandoned for something better. And, yet another part of him- a large, large part- feared dying, feared the oblivion he had temporarily experienced when he fell from the Bifrost, that he had vowed never to feel again but at the same time had yearned for so many times.

As the wound finally healed with far too much effort on the god's part, Loki sighed, and let himself fall asleep.


	14. Chapter fourteen (part one)

Some spells that were hidden deep in the libraries of Asgard were so dangerous and powerful that Odin had banned them from being cast many centuries ago. Many of the books that held such spells were hidden in far corners that not even Loki himself had ventured into for a long time, and had been forgotten my most.

The witch Elise, however, did not easily forget such power, and two weeks after she had been visited by the prince Thor, she ventured into the oldest library of the realm and made her way down a set of stairs, into an underground room packed with high bookshelves that held the banned works.

She ran a crooked finger along the frayed spines of the books as she searched for a particular one, her lip curling into a pleased sneer at the thought of the spell she was searching for. When she found the appropriate tome, she quickly eliminated the spells she herself had cast upon it as defence, and grinned as she skimmed through one of the spell's descriptions.

_Yes_ , she thought.  _This will do perfectly._

* * *

Bruce looked at Tony as though he were a madman.

"You want me to... cut you?"

Tony sighed exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically. "Yes, how many times do I have to say it? A nice, clean cut on my arm, not deep enough to hit an artery, but deep enough to probably leave a scar. You can do that, can't you?"

Bruce blinked a few times. "Yes, I can, but why not do it yourself?"

The other man shrugged. "Had a few drinks, not sure my hand's steady enough not to hit an artery. Dying for a simple experiment would not be a glamorous way to go."

"I don't understand Tony. What kind of experiment is this?"

Tony's facial expression froze for a few seconds before falling away to something almost sheepish. "If I tell you, will you pinkie-promise not to tell anyone else? Especially not SHIELD."

"What could a cut prove that is so important?"

"Bruce, I'm gonna need you to pinkie-promise." Tony held his finger out and regarded his friend seriously. Bruce, used to such antics, sighed in resignation and hooked his pinkie through Tony's. Immediately, Tony withdrew and shot Bruce a smile, and said casually, "I'm probably turning into a semi-god. Not to be confused with a demi-god. But yeah, I'm gonna be a partial god. Literally."

Bruce processed this for a moment, trying to approach this from a not-freaking-out angle.

"How?"

"Soul-bond with Loki. Purely accidental. And unbreakable."

"But..."

"Dream visits. He didn't know they'd do this."

"Are you sure he didn't know?"

"Loki... Loki's becoming mortal."

That was answer enough.

Bruce picked up the scalpel and Tony held out an arm. Tony let out a hiss as the cold metal pressed into his forearm, and the two watched blood ooze out of the wound. Bruce grabbed the first aid kit Tony had brought along with him, and disinfected the cut and put a bandage over it. He applied pressure.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Tony?"

Tony laughed. "Honestly? I have no idea."

* * *

When Tony checked his wound twenty-four hours later, there was nothing but a faint, fading scar in its place.

* * *

He showed the scar to Loki, and the trickster ran cold fingers across. He met Tony's eyes and read the fright that the man was trying to hide.

* * *

That night, Loki soothed Tony when he woke up from a nightmare of memories that did not belong to him.

 


End file.
